Two in twenty million
by Loz06
Summary: LeoMargaret When Leo faces the consequences of his life, Margaret is there for him. Terrible summary I know
1. 1

Title: Two in twenty million  
Author: Loz   
E-Mail: loz06@y...  
Rating: PG 13, moves to R in one place  
Category: Leo/Margaret  
Series: Stand-alone  
Spoilers: One slight mention of Bruno so anything current in Season   
3, though doesn't take into account campaign, MS or anything else   
Season 3.  
Archive (if applicable): National Library   
http://westwingstories.com/library  
Feedback: The good, the bad and the very ugly it's all appreciated.   
  
Summary: When Leo faces the consequences of his life, Margaret is   
there for him. (Terrible summary I know)  
  
Author's Note 1: It occurred to me that after many years of drinking   
Leo might suffer some long term repercussions which haven't been   
explored on the show and thus, this story was born.  
  
Author's Note 2: In some places where the info ran out, I've used my   
common sense on what I thought would happen, fortunately that's not   
in too many places.  
  
Author's Note 3: I've tried to make this as accurate as possible, but   
I'm sure there's someone on the list who has had first hand   
experience with this disease and can tell me something is wrong.   
  
Author's note 4: I've done masses of research; I've done my best. I'm   
not going to provide you with a long list of URL's of where my info   
is from like a reference list for a paper I'm handing up. If you want   
to know more, email me, I don't bite.  
  
Author's note 5: I really hope this doesn't end up like an ER fic,   
I've tried to explain the medical procedures and put most things in   
plain English.  
  
Author's note 6: There'll be an Author's End note, even after all   
this, I'd put it in now, but I'd have to write story spoiler and   
that's just stupid.  
  
Author's note 7: What it is about a long story that spawns long   
Author's notes?  
  
THANKS: To Melissa for her patience, complements and encouragement.   
  
Disclaimers: I have no association with anyone associated with TWW,   
the Richmond Hospital exists - http://www.vcuhealth.org/transplant/,   
the doctors names have been altered slightly…they deserve recognition   
for a job well done IRL. Traveling times and routes are courtesy of   
Yahoo! Maps.  
  
Apologies: If the parts are a little short. I'd much rather post in   
whole but I know Yahoo! would protest and cut me off somewhere before   
the end  
  
~*~  
  
  
"Margaret." CJ slips quietly behind the red headed secretary shutting   
the door that divides her office from Leo's. "He looks..."  
  
"I know." Margaret spins in her chair to face CJ, keeping her voice   
low. Her hair bobs as she nods in her agreement with Leo's unhealthy   
looking state.  
  
"He's getting thinner, have you noticed that?" CJ sits on the edge of   
Margaret's desk.  
  
"He's not eating, he never goes and gets himself anything to eat   
because he's too busy but he always eats what I bring him, the other   
night I found him asleep on the desk and last week he had to hurry to   
the bathroom twice."  
  
"There's a yellow tinge about his skin as well." CJ nods along in   
agreement.  
  
"I'm worried CJ."  
  
"So am I."  
  
"He won't go and see anyone, he refuses to acknowledge anything is   
wrong." Margaret shakes her head in despair.  
  
"Will he see Dr. Bartlet?"  
  
"That's who I've tried to get him to see... he refuses and then yells   
at me."  
  
"You have to do something...yellow skin tones usually means a persons   
liver is not working right..."  
  
"... And everyone knows Leo's liver has had a bashing over the   
years." Margaret concludes her eyes settling on the door that divides   
them.  
  
"He knows Margaret...he just needs you to push him so he can hear it   
from someone else."  
  
"He has a regular doctor listed on his emergency from who has a   
private practice..."  
  
"Make an appointment..." CJ gets in before the door swings open.  
  
"You wanted to see me CJ." he looks up at her as he places a folder   
on Margaret's desk.  
  
"I'm fine, Margaret helped me."  
  
~*~  
  
"I cancelled Bruno at three, your appointment is two thirty you need   
to be going soon."  
  
"About that...cancel it."  
  
"I can't." Margaret replies stiffly, she hates going against his   
wishes.  
  
"It's a meeting with Bruno, he's been on the road for a month, I need   
an update, I need to know where we stand, I can't just shove him on   
the bottom of the pile."  
  
"I have instructions to get the Secret Service to frog march you out   
of the building if you won't co-operate." Margaret's voice betrays   
her attempt at confidence.  
  
"Instructions from who?" Leo growls.  
  
"The President." Margaret replies meekly.  
  
"I don't care." Leo returns.  
  
"Leo you have to, people are starting to ask if you're all right,   
they're worried about you." she holds out his coat, convincing him   
with her soft caring tone.  
  
"Don't let the country fall apart while I'm gone." he instructs   
taking the coat and heading out the door.  
  
~*~  
  
"I didn't hear you come back." sitting behind his desk, glasses on   
the edge of his nose it's as if nothing has happened. "How'd it go?"   
Margaret broaches.  
  
"Fine...where's Bruno?" he replies curtly.  
  
"Late...what did they say." she presses.  
  
"I need to eat, sleep and live better and to come back next week." he   
looks up at her for the first time and she swears he looks frightened.  
  
"Well that doesn't sound so bad, same could be said for most people   
in the building." she attempts to be up beat.  
  
"Bruno!" his voice rises beckoning the solid man who fills the   
doorway into his office.  
  
"Thanks Margaret." he says signaling her to return to invisible on   
the other side of the closed door.  
  
~*~  
  
"I don't know how long I'll be..." later that next week Leo struggles   
with his coat. Appointment number two is in a half hour and in a week   
she's been able to get nothing more from him and by now CJ's   
insistent queries about what's going on is starting to irritate.  
  
Margaret nods her head as she bites her bottom lip, for a   
professional politician and an above average poker player his face is   
giving away the trepidation he's obviously feeling.  
  
"Leo..." she stops him as he starts to walk away and instantly   
regrets it, her own trepidation at the question she wants to ask   
playing its way across her face. "Would you like me to come with you?"  
  
His answer comes in a silent nod; Margaret grabs her own coat and   
phone, walking side by side with him out the door.  
  
~*~ 


	2. 2

~*~  
  
Margaret finds something ironic about the white walls in the waiting   
area, white as a color is pure yet the majority of people who sit   
surrounded by them are ill, their bodies invaded by a foreign   
diseases and virus' which are less than pure.  
  
Her hands fumble in her lap as she reads the information around the   
walls for AIDS, dementia, heart disease, depression and cancer.  
  
Leo is fixated on the young child who thrashes happily at his   
mother's feet amongst the chunky building blocks the doctors have   
provided.  
  
"Leo McGarry." a polite female voice calls, Margaret watches him   
gather himself and stand out of the hard plastic chairs.  
  
"You coming?" he asks quietly. He waits and they enter the small   
consultation room together.  
  
~*~  
  
"This is Margaret." Leo introduces the raven-haired doctor to his   
assistant.  
  
"Julia Dunn, I'm a friend of Abbey Bartlet," the doctor explains and   
Margaret doesn't miss the questioning look the doctor gives Leo at   
her presence.  
  
"It's all right, Margaret knows practically every aspect of my life,   
she can probably forge my signature." at the last comment Margaret   
can't help but smile a little. "She will have to know eventually,   
better from the beginning." Leo shifts in his chair.  
  
"Taking into account your symptoms and your history I know what I   
suspect the problem is...as I mentioned to you last week, I'd like   
however to do an abdominal examination, draw some blood and possibly   
send you to have a biopsy done. We should have the results of the   
blood work in the next couple of days and then we can decide to go   
from there on the biopsy." Julia Dunn flips through Leo's medical   
file.  
  
"Sure, whatever needs to be done," Leo shrugs.  
  
"Well I'll ask you to hop up on the table behind you and we'll do   
this." Margaret watches Julia Dunn reach for a needle in its sterile   
packaging above her desk. Behind her Leo pulls himself up on the   
table covered with a thin mattress and lies down.  
  
"How are you with needles and blood." Dr. Dunn smiles over at Leo.  
  
"Fine, it's Margaret you need to worry about." Leo jokes.  
  
"You might need to hold her hand then, as opposed to the other way   
around."  
  
"I'm ok." Margaret smiles meekly not moving from he chair.  
  
"I'm going to examine your liver." Julia Dunn stands next to Leo   
blocking Margaret's view of Leo. She can see the doctors hands   
depressing on Leo who maintains a steady breathing pattern as she   
pokes and prods, rolling her motions across his middle.  
  
"Ok, I'm going to draw some blood, I promise I won't hurt you." she   
smiles. "You want to come over here?" Julia Dunn motions to Margaret   
as she opens the needle from its packaging.  
  
Margaret watches as she comes to Leo's side, the doctor straps Leos   
arm above his elbow, her long slender fingers rub some alcohol around   
the vein.  
  
"You'll feel a little bee sting." Dr. Dunn warns, standing next to   
Leo, Margaret flinches watching the needles approach, its depressing   
force on the skin and its eventually disappearance as Leo's blood is   
drawn back up the needle.  
  
"You want me to test your blood for anything else at the same time?"   
she separates the needle and the test tube of blood.  
  
"Like what?" Leo lifts his head from the small pillow watching his   
blood being labeled.  
  
"Hepatitis C, HIV..."  
  
"I don't think I've put myself at risk of any of those diseases."   
Margaret can see Leo scanning his memory.  
  
"In most cases no, some people just like to read the word 'negative'   
next to the test order, they find it comforting."  
  
"I'm a little more secure in myself," Leo smiles watching his arm   
being released.  
  
"What I'm looking for is elevated levels of iron, copper and elevated   
levels of liver enzymes, I'm also going to test to see if you're at   
risk of bleeding during the biopsy procedure, the results should be   
in by the end of the week, you'll need to make another   
appointment...Friday so we can discuss the results." Dr. Dunn   
explains as she updates Leo's patient history.  
  
"Don't let him get up just yet Margaret." Julia smiles.  
  
"I'm fine." Leo protests sitting up, his head immediately swims and   
Margaret has to lower him back down before he falls.  
  
"Happens to even the toughest ones." Dr. Dunn smiles pressing a round   
patch over the spot where she drew blood.  
  
~*~  
  
"Have you thought about calling Jenny?" Margaret asks Friday   
afternoon.  
  
"Only when I know for sure." Leo replies firmly.  
  
"Are you going to come?" he asks quietly.  
  
"It should be Jenny not me." Margaret says helping him with his coat.  
  
"You care more than she does." he looks scared again and Margaret   
turns off her desk light before following him out.  
  
"The President asked me the other day how things were going?"   
Margaret fills the silence in the taxi ride over.  
  
"What'd you say?" Leos head flicks towards her.  
  
"You were ok, but were still having tests."  
  
"Thanks." he smiles softly.  
  
"You look concerned." Margaret adds.  
  
"Actions rarely don't have consequences for oneself, however some   
consequences aren't immediate." he stares out the window not saying   
anymore.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hello again Margaret." Dr. Dunn greets, clutching Leos results in   
her hands as they sit in the chairs provided for patients.  
  
"Hi." she smiles politely but with a guarding tone.  
  
"Well the results are in..." Dr. Dunn starts. "...And I'm afraid it's   
not good, you have higher than normal liver enzymes and your copper   
and iron levels are elevated."  
  
"What does that mean?" Leo asks straightening in his chair.  
  
"I want to send you for a liver biopsy to rule out liver disease."   
next to Leo, Margaret breathes in sharply.  
  
"It will involve a day in hospital and another day or so rest...do   
you have a preference of when you'd like to have the procedure done?"  
  
"No day is good, but Friday would be preferable, afternoon if   
possible."  
  
"That's fine, you're going to need someone to drive you home   
afterwards because it's considered to be minor surgery and if you're   
taking any aspirin, ibuprofen or anticoagulants you need to stop   
taking them now."  
  
"I'm not on any medication." Leo nods.  
  
"You'll need to be there around an hour before your procedure is   
scheduled, I'll have someone call you office with a time for the   
procedure."  
  
"Thank you." Leo nods; Margaret can see him trying to be strong.  
  
~*~  
  
"Can you organize someone to cover your office on Friday?" Leo asks   
absently in the taxi on the way back to the White House.  
  
"Mallory would want to be there when you have the biopsy done."   
Margaret replies cautiously.  
  
"Mallory would want to smother me, I need someone who understands how   
important my job is." his eyes meet hers; they're wide and full of   
expression.  
  
"I can get a temp, but you might need Josh to cover some things for   
you." Margaret sighs, the man is so determined.  
  
"Thanks." he goes back to staring out the window.  
  
"When you said consequences of actions, not immediate what did you   
mean?" Margaret looks over at him as he watches the outside world fly   
by.  
  
"Alcohol and pills."  
  
~*~ 


	3. 3

~*~  
  
"Can you get Josh." back in their office they both attempt to get out   
from under the work that has found its way to their desks while they   
were gone. "I have to tell him..."  
  
"Immediately?" Margaret places three folders in front of him.  
  
"No hurry, just before he goes home tonight."  
  
The phone on his desk rings and Margaret picks it up answering it in   
her usual professional "Leo McGarry's office" tone.  
  
"Ok." she says watching him sign the documents she bought in.  
  
"Thank you," she says before placing the hand set gently back in its   
receiver.  
  
"You're scheduled for three next Friday." Margaret tells him softly   
and for the first time he looks up at her slowly, dropping the pen   
and falling back into his chair with a sigh.  
  
"Thanks." he mumbles before turning the chair to look out the window.  
  
~*~  
  
"He wants to see me?" Josh appears as from nowhere later that evening.  
  
"I'll just check." Margaret raises an index finger to him indicating   
he waits before she disappears behind the closed door.  
  
"Josh's here." she says quietly watching Leo continue to write.  
  
"Ok." he sighs but she gets the distinct feeling that there's   
something more so she waits watching him pull his glasses from his   
face. "Shut the door behind him when he comes in... You can stay." he   
finishes softly.  
  
"Hey Leo." Josh's bouncy good mood is in start contrast to the gray   
cloud that has moved over the office in the past week or so.  
  
"Sid down." Leo instructs as Josh's good mood gets sucked into a   
vacuum somewhere.  
  
"What's up?" Josh approaches cautiously.  
  
"There's going to be a thing and at the moment I'm handing out   
information on a need to know basis, so don't ask me for more than   
I'm willing to give you." Josh swivels in his chair catching   
Margaret's somber expression.  
  
"Next Friday I'm having a biopsy done, I'm going to be out till at   
least Monday, hopefully no longer, I'm going to need you to cover me   
and to keep this to yourself."  
  
"Biopsy on what?" Josh looks between the pair and Leo stares across   
the desk at him. "Right, that information isn't need to know."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Leo are you ok?"  
  
"I'll be fine...it's a waste of time really." behind him Josh doesn't   
see Margaret's cringe at the blasé way Leo is treating the biopsy in   
front of Josh.  
  
"Ok." Josh straightens in his chair, a little more comfortable in   
what he's just been told.  
  
"Margaret is getting a temp because she needs to drive me home from   
the hospital, so you'll be all right to cover me."  
  
"Consider it done."  
  
"Get outta here." Leo smiles watching Josh stand and leave.  
  
"He doesn't need to know yet." Leo says gravely to Margaret who   
stands expressing her disapproval of how the meeting went.  
  
She says nothing, once again putting a closed door between herself   
and him.  
  
~*~  
  
The clock on Margaret's desk clicks over to six forty five the   
following Friday morning, she was in a six and he was already here.  
  
"Did you eat anything this morning?" she asks standing in front of   
his desk, withholding the files he requested for him.  
  
"I had a piece of fruit." his hand waves, eyes not leaving the report   
he's reading.  
  
"You can't eat anything else from now," she reminds him gently.  
  
He looks up at her, nodding and reaching out for what she has to give   
him.  
  
"Thank you Margaret." he calls as she's about to close the door   
behind her.  
  
She nods, closing the door quietly behind her.  
  
~*~  
  
At one thirty Margaret fumbles looking for her car keys, she's given   
the temp a crash course in her office, but she's worried because she   
hasn't seen Leo in about ten minutes and she doesn't want to think   
about him doing something as juvenile as hiding in a closet in the   
basement somewhere.  
  
"Leo we have to..." Margaret calls as she opens the door. He's   
standing in the middle of the floor dressed in casual pants khakis, a   
t-shirt and a sports jacket. "...Go now." she finishes.  
  
"You're ready?" he confirms taking a deep breath.  
  
Margaret nods and he motions to the door.  
  
~*~  
  
"Did you call Mallory or Jenny?" Margaret asks conscious of the grass   
that fills the carpet floor of her car, in some places she swears it   
has put down roots and is now growing.  
  
"I didn't." he says levelly, unable to meet her eyes.  
  
Silence passes through them until GW comes into view.  
  
"You should go home after you drop me off, I can have someone call   
you when I'm ready to be picked up."  
  
Margaret shoots him a horrified look. "I don't mind really," she says   
not to forcefully. "But I do think you should have at least called   
Mallory."  
  
~*~  
  
"You need to fill out these Mr. McGarry." the administration nurse   
hands Leo a clipboard of forms to fill out.  
  
"You can have a seat over there." she points where three other people   
anxiously wait. "And someone will be with you as soon as you've   
completed your forms."  
  
Over his shoulder Margaret watches meticulously as he fills out the   
incidental details, medical history and consent forms.  
  
When Leo's finished they're lead down a winding corridor painted in   
depressing shades of blue by a young nurse who sets Leo up in a   
private room.  
  
"You need to take off your clothes, except for your briefs and put   
this on." she holds out a thin blue hospital gown, which Leo takes   
grudgingly. Margaret waits with the nurse outside the curtain she   
pulled around the bed for privacy. Behind the curtain she hears Leo   
mumble I don't wear briefs and the two women suppress their laughter.  
  
When he's changed Leo opens the curtains again and Margaret is   
reduced to a wide smile at one of the most powerful men in the   
country dressed in what is basically a sheet with a few strategically   
placed ties.  
  
"You'll be given fluids intravenously Mr. McGarry if you need them   
during the procedure..." her name tag says Natalie. "This cream   
will..." a large blob drops onto Leo's hand. "Numb the area where the   
IV will go in." she presses a clear patch over it leaving Leo with a   
large white bump on his left hand.  
  
"It might ache a little after the IV has come out, the nurse at admin   
said you were right handed so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."   
Natalie smiles and disappears promising someone else would be with   
them soon.  
  
"Did Harrison's office get back to you?" Leo climbs up onto the bed,   
staring at the starch white roof.  
  
"Leo." Margaret sighs letting him know she doesn't want to talk about   
work.  
  
"I appreciate what you're doing for me," his head flicks across the   
flimsy pillow to look at her, perched on the edge of the visitors'   
chair.  
  
"I know." Margaret smiles.  
  
~*~ 


	4. 4

~*~  
  
"Mr. McGarry." a rotund friendly nurse picks up Leos medical chart at   
the end of the bed smiling at Leo who puts down the issue of Time that Margaret got for him from the admin area.  
  
"Lets get you hooked up to an IV, get you relaxed with a mild   
sedative and then the doctor will be in to explain what's going to happen." Margaret strains to read Mary on the nurses name tag as  
she sets up an IV line.  
  
"How's The President doing?" she asks distracting Leo while she   
slides the clear patch off his hand and wipes away the remainder of the cream.  
  
"He's good." Leo nods watching the needle sink into his vein.  
  
"All set." Mary exclaims. "Sit back and enjoy the show," she tells   
Leo before smiling warmly over at Margaret.  
  
"You'll stop me if this stuff makes my tongue a bit loose and   
national secrets go flying like tips at the track on Friday night won't you." Leo smiles over at her.  
  
"Maybe." Margaret smiles going turning her attention back to her   
magazine.  
  
~*~  
  
"Mr. McGarry I'm Dr. Shaw." Margaret looks once and then again   
because he's young and handsome, she can see Leo trying to get around how he could possibly be out of medical school yet.  
  
"Hi." in the last few minutes Leo has become drowsier, the magazine   
he was reading rests in his lap and his eyes have been periodically opening and closing however he's still fully alert, Margaret doubts he's been this relaxed in years.  
  
"We're going to take you into the exam room in a moment." Dr. Shaw   
flicks through Leos chart and notices Margaret for the first time.  
  
"We'll get you to lie on another bed on your back and raise your   
right hand above your head. The nurse assisting me will mark the outline of your liver and then I'll inject a local anesthetic into  
the area. I'll make a small incision in the right side near your   
ribcage then insert the biopsy needle and collect a sample." he puts the chart back on the end of the bed.  
  
"He'll be fine." Dr. Shaw winks at Margaret as Mary and Natalie   
return, pushing up the side rails of the hospital bed ready for transport.  
  
"At the end of the hall there's a viewing window into the endoscopy   
area, you can watch the procedure through or you can wait around at admin, someone will come and get you when he comes out, the procedure only takes about twenty minutes." he tells Margaret as she watches  
Leo get wheeled away.  
  
"I'd like to watch." Margaret clutches at her bag.  
  
"This way." he indicates for them to go deeper into the white washed   
halls. "So how long have you been married?"  
  
"We're not." Margaret replies politely realizing the doctor's   
question is going to create a bit of embarrassment for himself.  
  
"I'm sorry." he blushes slightly showing Margaret to the niche, which   
has two chairs and a window that over looks the exam room.  
  
"Thank you." Margaret nods watching Dr. Shaw follow Leo behind the   
double doors.  
  
~*~  
  
Margaret watches as Leo rolls himself from the hospital bed onto what   
looks like an operating table. His eyes are open but he looks hazy, a blood pressure cuff is wrapped around his arm and a finger clip placed to measure his pulse. The flimsy hospital gown is pulled down, and Margaret watches an ultrasound machine beam back images of Leos inner organs, Natalie uses a dark pen of some sort to outline Leo's liver.  
  
Leo is covered with blue sheets which leave only the outlined area   
visible, now covered in the dark antiseptic, he raises his right hand above his head as a small needle is injected into his arm, it's a stronger sedative and another needle, an anesthetic is put into the biopsy area. Margaret turns away; Leo however doesn't seem to mind carrying on a conversation with Mary as the needles goes deeper into him.  
  
The local anesthetic numbs the area so he doesn't notice as Dr. Shaw   
makes a small incision in his side and the biopsy needle is inserted to retrieve the sample tissue. Dr. Shaw's voice floats through the thin glass as he asks Leo to remain very still and hold his breathe as the needle goes into his liver.  
  
"Any pain?" Natalie asks checking the machines Leo is hooked up to.  
  
"A dull pain." Leo replies unable to see what is going on.  
  
The needle is making her feel queasy so Margaret escapes to the admin   
area before she passes out on the floor, it's not long before Dr. Shaw comes and gets her.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey." Margaret says quietly as she comes back into Leo's room again,   
she doesn't notice at first he's lying on his side facing the plastic visitors chair she was sitting in earlier.  
  
"Hi." he says groggily not bothering to crane his neck to look at her.  
  
"How'd it go?" she asks pulling the chair closer to the bed.  
  
"Almost as much fun as winning elections." he jokes.  
  
"That's a big bandage." Margaret adds trying to ward of any   
uncomfortability about the fact he's not wearing a shirt.  
  
"I'm lying on a towel, like a child who still wets the bed," he   
grumbles.  
  
"How long do you have to be here?"  
  
"2 hours lying like this and then god knows how much longer before   
the sedative wears off." he continues his complaining.  
  
"You should get some sleep while you can." Margaret nods.  
  
"You'll call Mallory while I'm asleep." he shakes his head against   
the pillow.  
  
"Don't you think I would have called Mallory while you were in   
surgery?" she points out.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Sleep Leo, the time will go faster." Margaret says softly.  
  
"You'll be here when I wake up?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
~*~ 


	5. 5

~*~  
  
Mary's shadow in front of her eyelids, blocking the harsh fluorescent   
lights arouses Margaret from her light sleep an hour later.  
  
"How is he?" she asks rolling him slightly to check the bandage and   
his various vitals signs including his blood pressure.  
  
"This is the most sleep he's had in a long time." Margaret stretches   
in the cruel chair.  
  
"He'll be able to roll over in an hour or so." she scribbles the   
updated information on Leos chart.  
  
Mary looks pointedly at Leo's left hand that has slipped over the   
side of the bed. "Hold his hand honey," she says quietly, watching as Margaret gently slips her hand in his.  
  
~*~  
  
Nurses come and go regularly at half hour intervals as Leo continues   
to sleep, at around six they rolled Leo onto his back and allay Margaret's concerns that he is sleeping a lot, it is going to take  
a while for the sedative to wear off.  
  
At ten Margaret wanders back from the cafeteria with some lukewarm   
instant coffee and a pre-packaged muffin.  
  
"You've got food." Leo comments opening one eye then two when   
Margaret walks back in the room.  
  
"I didn't know you were awake." Margaret apologizes. "Hungry."  
  
"Yes." his eyes watch the coffee and muffin.  
  
"It's not worth your while, wait until you can eat something decent."   
she sits next to him balancing the muffin on her knee, placing the coffee on the table next to the bed.  
  
"They gave me this water," he points to the glass by his bed. "I   
think it must be the purest water on earth." Leo shakes his head.  
  
"Did they say when you could go home?" Margaret breaks off a portion   
of the muffin popping it in her mouth to satisfy her rolling stomach.  
  
"Soon." he shifts uncomfortably.  
  
"Are you in pain?" Margaret springs from her chair, the remains of   
her muffin rolling onto the ground.  
  
"My shoulder." Leos face clenches with the pain.  
  
Margaret reaches for the button to call a nurse and Natalie appears   
as if from nowhere.  
  
"More Tylenol Mr. McGarry." she looks at the watch pinned to her   
clothes. "I'll be right back."  
  
Instinctively Margaret slides her hand into Leos as if some of the   
pain may be transferred from him to her.  
  
"Is this normal?" panic underlies in Margaret's tone as Natalie gives   
Leo a dosage of Tylenol.  
  
"Perfectly, the pain he's feeling is in his right shoulder, it's   
caused by irritation of the diaphragm muscle from the procedure, it should be gone in anywhere from a few more hours to tomorrow." Leo relaxes a little as the Tylenol starts to take effect.  
  
"Dr. Shaw will be in soon to discharge Mr. McGarry, he's been stable   
for long enough now. Are you staying with him tonight."  
  
"Someone has to stay with him?" Margaret looks up at the young nurse   
in surprise as she records the medication Leo has just been given. "I thought he just needed someone to get him home."  
  
"It's probably best if someone stays with him for the next eight to   
twelve hours."  
  
"I'm still here ladies," Leo says to them, his face is calmer, his   
eyes closed.  
  
"I can stay with him." Margaret nods, smiling at Leo's reminder he's   
still in the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"How do you feel Mr. McGarry?" Dr Shaw looks significantly more tired   
since Leo's procedure.  
  
"Sore on my right side, tired and the pain is starting to radiate to   
my shoulder again."  
  
"The good news is you've been stable long enough and the sedative   
seems to have warn off so you can go home now."  
  
"I'm sorry I never asked your name." Dr. Shaw directs his attention   
to Margaret who is only too glad to be able to get out of the uncomfortable chair.  
  
"Margaret."  
  
"Are you going to take Mr. McGarry home and stay with him?"  
  
Margaret looks over at Leo who is looking back at her waiting for an   
answer.  
  
"I am." she stands out of the chair watching the doctor fill out the   
final release forms, she notices for the first time his name is Evan.  
  
"Ok, there's a couple of things, you must take him directly home   
where he has to remain in bed for the next eight to twelve hours, the only exception is if he needs to use the bathroom. Make sure after that he doesn't exert himself, lift to many heavy things or anything like that. He can take Tylenol for the pain in his shoulder but no aspirin or ibuprofen, it reduces blood clotting and this is essential for recovery."  
  
"When can we expect the results?" Margaret watches Leo who gingerly   
pulls himself to a sitting position on the side of the bed.  
  
"It takes around 5 days for results to come from the pathology lab,   
the results will go to Dr. Julia Dunn who will discuss them with Mr. McGarry." Evan Shaw slides the pen he was using back in  
his top pocket.  
  
"Thank you." Margaret let out the tiny breath she was holding.  
  
"He can have another dose of Tylenol when you get him home." Dr. Shaw   
says before his beeper sounds and he disappears to another patient.  
  
"Where are my clothes?" Leo looks around confused easing one foot   
then two onto the cold tiled surface.  
  
Margaret rescues them from the basic cupboard space in the room,   
where they've been hanging on the type of hangers that are no use to you if you remove them from their original location.  
  
"I'll wait outside," she says softly, outside she stands with her   
back flush to the wall, her eyes closed. She isn't there too long before she hears him softly calling her name.  
  
Hesitantly she looks around the doorway, the kaki pants are pulled in   
tight by the belt around his waist, but he holds his t-shirt despondently in his left hand.  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"I can't lift my arm to get this on." he raises his left arm,   
fluttering the shirt in front of him.  
  
"Button down would have been better." Margaret realizes taking the   
white shirt from his hand.  
  
She scrunches the shirt up then slides the corresponding armhole up   
his right arm without him having to lift it. She stretches the neck of the shirt to reach it over his bent head and then fumbles in a tangle as he manages to get his left arm in its hole and the shirt pulled down over his bandage.  
  
Margaret helps him into his jacket one arm at a time and walks behind him out of the room as he shuffles towards the administration desk to sign out.  
  
~*~  
  
"Do you have any Tylenol?" Margaret asks watching him struggle to get   
the seatbelt done up with his left hand.  
  
"Thank you," he says quietly as she puts her hand over his till the   
seatbelt locks. "I have Tylenol," he adds.  
  
"I want to call Josh when we get back." Margaret's head immediately   
flicks to look at his and then back to the road.  
  
"Leo it's midnight, you can call him tomorrow." the streets are dark,   
quiet and a little slippery from rain that went unnoticed by both of them while they were inside the hospital.  
  
A sharp intake of breath turns her attention back to him for a moment   
and then back on the road. "Your shoulder." she asks.  
  
"Drive faster." his facial features clench with a shot of pain.   
Margaret's foot depresses slightly harder on the acceleration, the last thing she wants is for him to land back in the hospital again because of a car accident.  
  
~*~  
  
TBC 


	6. 6

~*~  
  
There's a point in the lift ride to his motel room when the pain gets worse, he gasps as the doors open, Margaret grabs the card from him scanning the numbers on the doors till she finds his.  
  
She takes only cursory glances around the large room as she searches for the bathroom, having left Leo to amble in pain along the hall alone. In the cabinet she pulls down the Tylenol extra strength, panicking because they're tablets, she doesn't think after Valium he takes tablets anymore.  
  
"Crush them into the little container." his voice is dry and it hitches as the pain intensifies.  
  
In the kitchen Margaret crushes the tablets under the back of a spoon pushing the powder-like crush into the little cup and pouring a glass of water to wash it down with.  
  
Leos face contorts as the crushed tablets sprinkle onto his tongue; they obviously don't taste good. He washes them away with the whole glass of water.  
  
"You Ok?" Margaret gently rests her hand on his good shoulder as he breathes through the pain. "You need to lay down." she points him in the general direction of the bedroom.  
  
"Do you have pajamas or something?" Margaret throws back the sheets fussing with pillows. Leo points to the minimal cupboard space and inside Margaret smiles finding a cotton pair of pajamas hanging on a coat hanger...she can't blame him, space is lacking.  
  
"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" she circles back around the bed, dropping the pajamas on the bed and helping Leo out of the jacket and then gently out of his shirt, there are no signs of blood on the bandage, her hand grazes gently across it unintentionally. His pajama top is button up however Margaret has to do the buttons when Leo fails to be able to accomplish the task single handedly.  
  
"Help." Leo sighs exhausted, his eyes fluttering open and shut as in stands in front of her. Carefully she unhooks the belt, wary of where her hands fall, Leo seems too exhausted to notice anything. The pants fall easily to his ankles, Margaret realizing he hadn't done up the button in the hospital just pulled the belt tight and done up the fly.  
  
"Step out Leo." she has to grab him as he sways a little.  
  
"Step in." she instructs bringing the loose cotton elastic band up to rest on his waist.  
  
"I'm calling Mallory in the morning." she tells him as she guides him into the bed, tucking him loosely under the thin covers.  
  
"Ok." he flinches as he puts a little too much pressure on his right side.  
  
"Night Leo." she turns off the light on the table beside the bed.  
  
"You're staying aren't you?" his voice spreads through the darkness.  
  
"I am." she turns barely making out the rise in the bedcovers he makes.  
  
He doesn't reply instead she hears what she swears is the sound of his hand patting the empty space in the bed next to him.  
  
"I'll be in, in a minute," she promises kicking off her shoes and turning out the last light in the small living area.  
  
She crawls onto the bed above the sheets, still dressed in her suit from work that morning, not even bothering to remove her stockings, which now have a run in them.  
  
"Wake me if you need anything." she whispers because in the dark it seems like the appropriate thing to do. "Anything." she repeats.  
  
"What would I do without you." he sighs gratefully as she turns over onto her side and closes her eyes, welcoming sleep to join her.  
  
~*~  
  
The high pitch of a classical violin disturbs Margaret at five that morning, shortly afterwards Leos voice pleads with her to wake up. His preference for the right side of the bed is inconvenient at the moment given that he can't raise his arm to switch off the classical music station.  
  
"Force of habit." he sighs when the music silences and he feels the bed dip next to him.  
  
"Do you need some more Tylenol?" in the pre dawn darkness he can't see her face, just make out the general direction of where her voice is coming from.  
  
"Please."  
  
He turns away looking over where Margaret had been sleeping for the past four and a half hours or so as she turns on the bathroom light, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the new level of brightness in the room.  
  
Margaret reaches for the nighttime Tylenol that will give Leo a few more hours' sleep. The mirror throws back her face that has a red outline where she's slept on her wristwatch and her suit is crinkled.  
  
She shivers as she walks towards the kitchen to crush the tablets, snow falls eerily outside in the early morning moonlight.  
  
She knows it hurts as he sits up to take the Tylenol, but the relief the Tylenol brings now outweighs any minor pain.  
  
"How do you feel?" she asks taking the glass and container from him.  
  
"The same." he lies back down again gently.  
  
"Leo, in the hospital how did they know to crush your tablets?" he studies her serious face in the soft light from the bathroom.  
  
"I wrote it on the admissions form." he admits, eyes closing then snapping open again. "Did you sleep in those clothes?"  
  
Margaret looks down at her crinkled silk blouse and crushed skirt, her jacket is thrown over a chair in the kitchen.  
  
"It's Ok Leo." she heads back into the bathroom, putting everything away and returning the adjoining rooms to darkness again before crawling on top of the bed again...this time lying on her back.  
  
~*~  
  
Her body clock awakens Margaret next at a quarter to ten. She takes a couple of minutes to orient herself again. Next to her Leo is sleeping soundly, she wants him to go the full twelve hours before he gets up and moves around again and it's only been eight.  
  
Closing the bedroom door behind her, she pulls off the stockings that are starting to itch her and throws them in the waste in the small but functional kitchen looking at the room service menu wondering what she can order Leo.  
  
She chooses water, plain toast and fruit and orders it for an hours time not bothering to order anything for herself. When Mallory gets here so hopes she'll have the opportunity to go home, shower, change and eat.  
  
Then she rings Mallory holding her breath, waiting for Leo's daughter to answer at ten on a Saturday morning.  
  
"Hello." the sleepy voice comes down the line.  
  
~*~ 


	7. 7

~*~  
  
Mallory practically bangs down the door fifteen minutes later, she looks like she got straight out of bed and came over. Margaret rushes to the door in the hope Leo hasn't woken to the sound of Mallory tearing the motel down.  
  
"Where is he?" her tone is full of panic that frightens Margaret a little.  
  
"Mallory!" Margaret says forcefully, grabbing both of Leo's daughter's hands to accentuate her point. "He's sleeping, he's all right he just had a test done."  
  
"What test." Mallory follows Margaret to sit at the chairs in the kitchen.  
  
"He had a liver biopsy done, he needs to stay in bed until two this afternoon, the more he sleeps through it, the less complaining there is." Mallory smiles at Margaret's little joke.  
  
"Is he all right?"  
  
"He's in a bit of pain."  
  
"Why didn't he call me?" Mallory asks through gritted teeth.  
  
"I wanted him to." Margaret shakes her head. "Are you busy today?"  
  
"No." Mallory shakes her head vigorously. "Not now."  
  
"Can you stay, I need to go home and eat and shower and change, go into work and check everything is all right."  
  
"Go, I'll be fine." Mallory nods vigorously.  
  
"If he wakes up and he's in pain there's some Tylenol in the bathroom, crush some up and put them in the little container and get him a glass of water. I've ordered some really plain food from room service it should be here in a half hour or so." Margaret mentally ticks off the things she needs to tell Mallory.  
  
"Oh and don't let him take off the bandage." Margaret adds before closing the door behind her.  
  
~*~  
  
At home Margaret strips from her clothes that have begun to feel like a second skin. The warm water washes away the clinical hospital smell and her strawberry scented shampoo lathers away the hairspray that has been holding her hair up for too many hours. The mint gel toothpaste gets rid of the fur she feels is cultivating on her teeth.  
  
She changes into a casual and comfortable pair of pants and blouse. She eats hungrily at a yogurt combo and drinks the orange juice from her fridge like it's going out of fashion, all while catching up with the latest on CNN.  
  
On her way to the White House she stops and buys every magazine she has ever seen Leo read or thinks he would be interested in.  
  
~*~  
  
Her replacement is muttering to the computer when Margaret enters her office, she stops to help her out before knocking to announce to Josh her presence.  
  
"Hey...how is he?" Josh launches out of his chair faster than anyone Margaret has seen in a while.  
  
"He's Ok, he'll be fine." Margaret smiles.   
  
"Good." Josh looks overly relieved.  
  
"Why are you sitting in the visitors chair?" Margaret looks at the folders stacked at the wrong end of the desk.  
  
"I can't sit there." Josh gestures to Leos chair. "It's his chair."  
  
"He's not going to die." Margaret places a comforting hand on the Deputy Chief of Staffs shoulder.  
  
"I know...it's a respect thing." Josh shrugs.  
  
"Is there anything essential he needs to see or sign." this question is likely to significantly improve Leo's mood.  
  
"So glad you asked." Josh grins pointing to the pile on the left.  
  
"All that, it was Friday...I'm going to have to stagger it." Margaret sighs taking the pile in her arms.  
  
"I've got to go update the President now." she smiles at Josh knowing the next meeting will be even harder.  
  
~*~   
  
It's a little after one when Margaret knocks softly on Leos door again. When Mallory lets her in Margaret notices the bedroom door is still closed.  
  
"He's still asleep?" she asks surprised.  
  
"He woke up not long after you left but he started going on about my being here and you calling me so I gave him some night time Tylenol and he's been dozing ever since." Mallory explains.  
  
"Guess I'm not the most popular person." Margaret puts the folders and magazines under her arm on the table, it's a distinction she can live with and he'll thank her for later.  
  
"Did he eat?" she asks flopping into the chair next to Mallory.  
  
"A little."  
  
"Margaret." Leo calls having heard her talking to Mallory.  
  
"Good luck." Mallory grins bringing her coffee cup to her lips.  
  
~*~  
  
"You called her." CNN is showing on the TV however Margaret doubts he can see the picture, as he's still lying flat on his back.  
  
"I bought magazines, Josh sent some things for you to sign and he said to say don't come back till Monday things are running smoothly.  
  
"Show me." Leo tries to push himself up but ends up cringing as his liver clashes with other internal organs.  
  
Margaret props up the pillows behind him and helps him to sit upright with the minimum amount of pain.  
  
"I miss CJ," he says flipping through the magazines Margaret bought him as CNN shows a press briefing from late Friday.  
  
"She said to say hi." Margaret grips the files tightly.  
  
"What are those?" he indicates to the cream folders under her arms.  
  
"I'll get your glasses, a pen and something for you to lean on." Margaret sighs.  
  
"Your father is impossible," she tells Mallory as she finds a pen and his glasses case.  
  
"I know." Mallory nods.  
  
"How's your shoulder?" Margaret asks holding out his glasses and only letting him take them when he answers her fine no pain.  
  
"Your liver?"  
  
"It's got a hole in it." he jokes and Margaret retracts the pen she was holding out.  
  
"A little sore." he gives in and takes the pen from her.  
  
"Sign here." Margaret points resting the file on the tray that the room service came up on.  
  
"Thank you." Leo looks up at Margaret before he has a chance to sign.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For understanding and looking after me," he drops the pen in his hand putting both hands on her temples pulling her in to kiss her on the forehead.  
  
"You like me like this." He smiles picking the pen up again and signing his name.  
  
"How?" Margaret puts her guard up a little, hoping he doesn't mean kissing her.  
  
"All dependent on you."  
  
"You're always dependent on me." Margaret grins back handing him the next folder.  
  
~*~ 


	8. 8

~*~  
  
By six Margaret has supervised timed phone calls to the President, Josh, Toby, Sam, CJ and even Charlie.  
  
Mallory is lying with Margaret stretched across the bed as best they can, indulging in the joys of daytime television. Leo has even wandered around the room a little.  
  
"Times up." Margaret looks up from the magazine she bought herself downstairs.  
  
"I have to go Mr. President, Margaret's about to pull the phone out of the wall." it earns him a less than pleasant look, Margaret knows on the other end the President will be laughing at both of them.  
  
"Good night Sir." Leo finishes, placing the phone back in its cradle softly.  
  
"Mal you should go home." He watches her yawn and stretch a little across his bed.  
  
"You sure dad?" Concern plays across her face.  
  
"I'll be fine, besides you've got to get back to your guy with no teeth."  
  
"Very funny dad." she presses her lips to his forehead. "Goodnight."  
  
"Night honey."  
  
"Goodnight Margaret, don't let him give you too much trouble." Mallory smiles. "I'll be back tomorrow," she promises before gathering her things and letting herself out.  
  
"Are you hungry?" he looks at Margaret on the edge of the bed sorting the White House files, she shakes her head vigorously in the negative.  
  
"Tired?" he guesses turning the TV to mute.  
  
Her eyes droop betraying her answer before she even has a chance to give it.  
  
"Will you stay?" he looks pleadingly at her.  
  
"Leo whatever this is, that the biopsy is going to show and I think you know what, you have to deal with it."  
  
"I am...slowly, but I feel confident I can get through anything when you're around."  
  
"You can anyway." she stacks the magazines that are strewn across the bed and puts them on the table next to the bed.  
  
"It's liver disease Margaret." he looks over, purposely putting a pause between what he wants to say. "There's no cure."  
  
She looks down into her lap for a moment, taking a deep breath through her nose and exhaling again through her mouth. "I need to have a shower if I'm going to stay."  
  
"Be my guest."  
  
"I need something to sleep in."  
  
"I have a whole wardrobe full of Bartlet for America paraphernalia I've never worn."  
  
"I'll get you some Tylenol," she promises.  
  
~*~  
  
Later when she pads out of the shower her wet hair staining the shirt that's too big, she notices the Tylenol has already taken effect.  
  
His left hand is strewn out across her side of the bed, much like it was in the hospital. When she turns out the last lamp beside the bed she crawls under the sheets this time and holds his hand gently in hers.  
  
~*~ 


	9. 9

"Can you help me?" Leos voice calls out to Margaret as she orders  
breakfast through room service.  
  
He's out of bed, fumbling at the bandage that covers the incision. "It's itching."  
  
Margaret gently pushes aside the unbuttoned pajama top, inspecting the  
white patch. "You can take it off today right?" she confirms.  
  
"Yes, pull it off slowly." he requests, watching her nails gently scrape the beginnings of the medical tape from his skin.  
  
"Leo I'm going to pull it off quickly and you'll hardly notice."  
Margaret grabs it between her thumb and index finger.  
  
"I will, please pull it...Aarggh!" his voice rebounds around the room  
and sends Mallory flying into the room her coat half off, her bag lying in the middle of the floor.  
  
"Now you know how it feels when women wax." Mallory says dryly.  
  
"I have a whole new appreciation." Leo mutters.  
  
"It's healing nicely." Margaret circles the same index finger above the incision that is on the mend.  
  
"I told her last night dad." Margaret looks up at Mallory and then over to Leo, she gets the feeling this is a continuation of a conversation that was had when she wasn't here.  
  
"Jesus Mallory." he curses pulling his pajamas closed, flinching a  
little.  
  
"Well you wouldn't have told her, besides she asked me what I did  
yesterday, I wasn't about to lie."  
  
"Your mother is my estranged wife Mallory."  
  
"It doesn't mean she doesn't still care about you."  
  
"Divorce means she doesn't have to Mallory." Leo cries out.  
  
"Well she does, she's coming to see you today."  
  
"What?" Leo practically roars.  
  
"She cares dad." Mallory protests.  
  
"She'll say I told you so or words to that effect and I already know  
this, I don't need to hear it from anyone else." Leo's tone lowers as he speaks more to himself than anyone else.  
  
"She's worried dad." Mallory swallows before continuing. "We don't want to loose you."  
  
"You won't loose me honey." Leo promises gathering his daughter in his  
arms.  
  
Margaret slips out of the room closing the door behind her.  
  
~*~  
  
There's a soft knock on the door at around one and Margaret doesn't  
think about the fact she's still wearing Leos clothes till she's opened the door and is standing in front of Jenny O'Brien.  
  
"Hello Margaret, how are you?" she seems to take no notice of Margaret's attire.  
  
"Good thanks." Margaret smiles uncomfortably. "He's out on the terrace." Margaret indicates.  
  
"How is he?" Jenny asks concerned as she puts her coat over the couch.  
  
"He's fine, same Leo. I'm going to say goodbye, I'll tell him you're  
here."  
  
"You don't need to go Margaret." Jenny's voice sounds desperate as if  
having Margaret there would act as some sort of shield.  
  
"It really is a family thing." Margaret smiles politely.  
  
"God knows you're almost family Margaret."  
  
"Mallory is out there with him." Margaret changes the subject, looking  
out onto the terrace.  
  
"Thank you for looking after him." Jenny rests a gentle hand on  
Margaret's arm.  
  
"You're welcome." Margaret smiles before disappearing into the bedroom  
to change into the clothes she arrived in yesterday.  
  
When she comes out she stares momentarily at the scene on the terrace,  
Leo, Jenny and Mallory have their arms wrapped around each other.  
  
~*~  
  
"What did he do in here while I was gone?" Leo exclaims when he walks  
into his office on Monday, Margaret has been in since six trying to move the contents of the proverbial in tray to the out tray and hopefully get Leo ahead a little.  
  
She waits till he's cooled a little about the state of his desk before  
she comes in with the day's schedule.  
  
"Good morning." he looks up from the note Josh left on his desk. "You  
didn't say goodbye yesterday."  
  
"You were on the terrace with Mallory and Jenny, I didn't want to  
interrupt." Margaret excuses.  
  
"I wanted to say thank you because you didn't hesitate to go above and  
beyond the call of duty and I know how precious weekends are and you  
sacrificed one to look after me and I don't say enough how much I  
appreciate what you do for me, including the day in, day out things."  
  
"Thank you...how do you feel?"  
  
"All healed." he smiles, lifting his right arm to prove it.  
  
"You have the President first." Margaret launches back in to business.  
  
~*~  
  
"So how's he doing?" CJ asks perching herself on the edge of Margaret's desk Thursday afternoon.  
  
"Better, from the biopsy I mean, but he's still..."  
  
The phone on her desk rings and the conversation goes on hold.  
  
"Leo McGarry." Margaret answers picking up a pen and hovering it over a phone message note waiting.  
  
"Thank you." the pink slip remains blank as Margaret fumbles to hang up the phone.  
  
"Who was it?" CJ asks picking up the handset and hanging up the phone  
when Margaret can't.  
  
"I'm with Hoynes for the next hour." Leo flings open the door causing  
Margaret to jump in her seat. He pulls the black coat over his shoulders and stands as if waiting for Margaret to pass him some files he needs for the meeting.  
  
"You can't go," she says quietly. "That was Julia Dunn on the phone, she needs to discuss your biopsy results today."  
  
"Re-schedule Hoynes." Leo instructs and CJ notices something unspoken  
pass between Leo and his secretary, she immediately leaves.  
  
Leo doesn't offer and Margaret doesn't ask, so he heads out of the  
building alone  
  
~*~ 


	10. 10

At five when Leo hasn't returned, Margaret starts to worry because it  
has been an hour and she thinks it's been too long. At six when she  
hasn't heard from him she starts calling the doctor who tells her he's  
not there, she calls every number she knows she can reach him at and  
gets no answer at any of them.  
  
Charlie enters her office at seven as she starts considering calling in law enforcement of Secret Service.  
  
"The President would like to see you." he says softly and she follows  
him as if she were being summoned not requested.  
  
"Hello Margaret." the President calls motioning her to sit opposite him on the striped couches, nervously she looks around at the features, which decorate the oval room as the President gathers what he wants to say.  
  
It has to be serious if Jed Bartlet has to compose what he's going to  
say before he says it.  
  
"You can go home Margaret, he's not coming back to the office tonight." she shifts uncomfortably on the couch.  
  
"Thank you Sir." Margaret can feel tears welling.  
  
"It's ALD Margaret, alcohol-induced liver disease," the President says  
somberly.  
  
"Is he coming back?" she was prepared for this, liver disease had been  
used a couple of times in the past two weeks and alcohol was an obvious cause.  
  
"He just needs to deal with this right now. My wife would like to talk  
to you." Jed Bartlet makes eye contact with his wife who's in the  
outside office.  
  
"Hello Margaret." the First Lady is poised and efficient.  
  
"Ma'am." Margaret tries to smile.  
  
"I thought you should know Leo has gone for some...follow up tests."  
  
"Follow up to his biopsy?" Margaret perches on the edge of the couch as the President wanders around his desk.  
  
"These tests will basically determine his life expectancy." the First  
Lady makes eye contact with her husband.  
  
"What sort of tests?"  
  
"There'll be some routine chemistry, hematology, coagulation and  
hepatitis screens, a viral study and a HIV test."  
  
"They just draw blood for that right?" Margaret's asks nervously.  
  
"There's also some radiology work, a chest X-Ray, an ultrasound, CAT  
scan and MRI which examines his abdominal organs, a GI series to  
determine if he has any tumors..." Margaret draws a sharp breath.   
  
"And a VCUG which determines if his bladder is working. There's a cardio work-up, an ECG which examines his heart beat an echocardiogram that looks at his heart pumping action, a stress test, a PFT which checks his lung capacity and an ABG which tests the level of carbon dioxide and oxygen in his system."  
  
"Is that all?" Margaret says dryly.  
  
"Most of these tests are non evasive, with the exception of having to  
draw blood."  
  
"He'll be back Monday." The President adds from his desk.  
  
"Thank you Sir." Margaret stands gingerly; somehow wobbling her way back to her office where she collapses into her chair and sobs with her head on the desk so quietly that no one can hear her.  
  
He doesn't come into the office at all Friday.  
  
Later that night she drives past the reserved spot for Leos room 305 at the motel, a small red car occupies the space with the vanity plates MAL.  
  
Margaret keeps driving till she gets home.  
  
He doesn't come in for the half day Saturday.  
  
~*~  
  
On Sunday she pulls into the reserved spot and takes the elevator up to his floor. Outside his door she weighs up what she is doing here or what she's going to say.  
  
His door opens before she has a chance to knock.  
  
"Hi." he's dressed in casual clothes and looks like he always does.  
"Were you going to knock?"  
  
"I wasn't sure..." she tapers off and he opens the door wider, inviting her in. CNN is playing softly on the TV and a glass of mineral water is sweating on the coffee table, surrounded by the magazines she bought him last weekend.  
  
She sits on an empty single seater and he hands her a drink, the same as he has and sits on the two seater looking across at her.  
  
"Say it." he says softly, knowing there are questions she wants to ask.  
  
"Are you going to die?" she asks quietly and immediately bites her  
tongue hard for being so blunt.  
  
"One day...in the future." he says being general. "But not anytime  
soon."  
  
~*~  
  
"I have cirrhosis." he looks up from the lunch he had sent up.  
  
"What's that?" Margaret asks putting down the fork that was moving her  
meal around on its plate.  
  
"It's a progressive scarring of the liver, about ten to twenty percent  
of the population develop cirrhosis."  
  
"How does that relate to your drinking?" Margaret hates to ask, but she wants to know.  
  
"Cirrhosis usually develops after more than a decade of heavy drinking." he looks down into his meal, moving the rice around. "Your liver breaks down any alcohol you drink, in the process it generates some products more toxic than the alcohol itself, there are also these things they call free radicals which are produced as part of the metabolic process, they can damage the liver calls and impair the livers functions and promote the inflammation of the liver. To top it all off, alcohol consumption inhibits the bodies natural defenses, antioxidants, as well."  
  
"So that's what's happening to you?"  
  
"My long term alcohol abuse has prolonged the inflammation of my liver, that has meant an excessive production of free radicals which have gone undefended and are destroying my last remaining healthy liver tissue. It's the alcohol induced cell death and constant inflammation which have resulted in the scarring of my liver...which is cirrhosis."  
  
"You haven't drunk for years though."  
  
"No, and that's in my favor, but I don't eat well and they think there  
might be some genetic factors what with my father and his father and so on."  
  
"What can you do?"  
  
"Don't drink for starters." Leo says in a spirited joking tone. "Eat  
better, there's some experimental things going on in a university  
hospital somewhere but I don't fancy being a lab rat."  
  
Margaret looks hesitant and not convinced by his up-beat manner.  
  
"I'll be ok." Leo smiles over at her.  
  
~*~  
  
CJ paces in twin steps back and forward in Margaret's office while she  
waits for Leo.  
  
"He looks better." she looks up from the patterns in the carpet.  
  
"Uh huh." Margaret says not looking up from the typing she needs to have done before Leos door opens again.  
  
"How long has it been?" CJ scuffs the toes of her shoes into the carpet.  
  
"A couple of weeks." Margaret says he fingers flying over the keyboard.  
  
"So he's cured." CJ brushes a bored hand through her hair.  
  
"Pretty much." Margaret sighs, pressing the spell check on her word  
processor.  
  
~*~ 


	11. 11

~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~  
  
"You should go home." Leo tells her later that same night as she brings him the folders he needs for tomorrow.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, go on, I'm just going to read these and say goodnight to the  
President, have an early night."  
  
"Goodnight Leo." Margaret's voice shrinks.  
  
"Night." he smiles, watching her leave his office.  
  
It takes her only a couple of minutes to turn off her computer and grab her bag, it's early, but the bullpens are quieter than usual for this time. Outside she gets halfway to the front gate before she realizes the reason she is cold is that her coat is still hanging in Leo's office. She can't stomach the thought of a trip on the Metro without it, so she sighs and turns around to go back and collect it.  
  
The door to his office that bypasses hers is closed.  
  
The door the separates her office from his is half open, when she hears the Presidents voice she stops and listens, eavesdropping on the other side of the door.  
  
"What else did they do?" Margaret picks up the Presidents voice.  
  
"An alcohol and drug screen, they drafted a letter for my insurance  
company to say a transplant was necessary, I had to sign an agreement I would cover all pharmacy expenses not covered by my insurance in the  
event of a transplant taking place." Leo informs him and after a minute adds. "They want to talk to Jenny and Mallory."  
  
"What about...?"  
  
"I had to sign a contract in which I agreed to abstain from all alcohol and drugs to allow my blood alcohol and urine samples to be taken at random and undergo psychologist and social workers interviews to determine the length of my sobriety and my previous treatments, risk of relapse and support systems and networks."  
  
"What's the prognosis?" Jed Bartlet asks his voice is low and grave.  
  
"The toxins from my liver that have flowed into my bloodstream will  
attack my other organs, gradually more and more, including my brain and impair their ability to function."  
  
"Then what?" the President asks shallowly.  
  
"I'd imagine I'll die."  
  
"Mass organ failure." the President says and Margaret gasps in horror.  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"There must be something."  
  
"Liver transplant." Leo sighs.  
  
"It's an option?" the President voice is filled with optimism.  
  
"Yes, I've been placed on the waiting list and no."  
  
"Yes and no." the President reiterates  
  
"Sixteen thousand people wait for a liver to be donated each year, five thousand of them receive one."  
  
"Who decides who gets a new liver?"  
  
"The United Network of Organ Sharing, they come under the Federal  
Secretary of Health and are responsible for liver distribution, they  
place you in a status bracket, I'm status three, I can live at home and a normal life, status one patients liver has stopped working they are in ICU and they're expected to live only seven days without a  
transplant...given my age, the fact my disease is bought on by  
alcoholism, it's unlikely I'd ever be eligible."  
  
Margaret has heard enough, tears are running down her face and across  
her eyes blurring her passage out of the building. On the Metro someone hands her a handkerchief and she cries the whole way home.  
  
~*~  
  
The next morning she doesn't know how to talk to him or look at him,  
clearly there's a point where he has information she doesn't need to  
know, or doesn't want her to know for whatever reason. Leo McGarry has  
his own security clearance. As she sits staring at her blank computer  
screen she sees the President and Leo side by side in identical hospital beds, Leo on dialysis and the President clinging to his last breath.   
  
"You forgot your coat last night." Margaret swings around in her chair  
to find him standing behind her.  
  
"I know." she tries to smile.  
  
"Weren't you cold?" his head tilts to the side.  
  
The truth is she was numb after hearing what she wasn't meant to and she didn't feel the chill whisper around her.  
  
~*~  
  
"Leo I'm going." Margaret stands hesitantly just inside the doorway  
later that night.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow." he swivels around in his chair, placing his  
feet off the desk and onto the floor.  
  
Instead of making her way out of the building she hovers out of sight in her office, it only takes five minutes before she hears the door to the Oval open and Jed Bartlet's voice filters out into her office.  
  
"Abbey says that the liver has regenerative properties." Margaret can  
imagine him casually entering the room and sitting on the couch waiting for a reply.  
  
"You're talking about live donation." Leo replies. She can picture him  
standing from behind his desk to sit opposite the President on a more  
comfortable chair.  
  
"It's an option right and you don't have to stay on the waiting list."  
  
There's no reply, Margaret assumes Leo nods in the affirmative.  
  
"Jenny or Mallory." he starts and immediately tapers off.  
  
"It's more complex than that." Leo stops him.  
  
"How complex can it be?" the President asks.  
  
"You have to match blood types, have compatibly tissue."  
  
"Mallory is your own flesh and blood." the President exclaims.  
  
"She's not eligible sir, otherwise she'd be dragging me down to the  
nearest transplant hospital now."  
  
"I don't understand." Margaret can see in her mind the President  
shifting in his chair.  
  
"My blood type is O negative, I share that distinction with around seven percent of the population, I can donate blood to everyone, but I can only receive blood from other O types. My mother had B type blood, my father O, I could have had B or O, I have O. Mallory's parents have type A and O blood, and Mallory has A."  
  
There's a lengthy pause and Margaret holds her breath.  
  
"What about your sister?" the President asks.  
  
"B." Margaret can see Leo smiling ironically.  
  
"Abbey is AB and I'm A, the girls are A, B and AB."  
  
"I couldn't ask..." Leo falters.  
  
"Leo there are people in this building that would hold their still  
beating heart out in their hands for you." the President says firmly.  
  
"I can't just go office to office Sir." Leo laughs, probably at a mental picture that is forming in his head.  
  
"You need to ask Leo." the Presidents voice lowers.  
  
"No one knows yet."  
  
"Not even Margaret?" outside the office Margaret draws a sharp breath at the mention of her name.  
  
"I can't tell her...I want to."  
  
"You have to tell her Leo, she runs your life and she loves you." Every inch of Margaret's body freezes. "Abbey told her on Friday you were having more follow up tests done."  
  
"I don't think..." Leo starts.  
  
"There's nothing she wouldn't do for you." the President interrupts  
before the room falls into silence.  
  
"My life expectancy might still be the same." Leo offers.  
  
"I noticed you're taking medication," the President offers.  
  
"For the effects." Leo says shallowly. "My medication will delay, but  
not eliminate the need for a transplant."  
  
"God forbid Leo, the Republicans are waiting for me to drop dead in the Oval, so they can say 'we told you so' you can't steal my thunder." the President says light heartedly.  
  
"Little joke there." he says quietly after a moment.  
  
"Abbey's waiting for you Sir, I should head home." Leo says moments  
later, Margaret hears them exchange good night as she slips out of  
sight.  
  
~*~ 


	12. 12

Margaret throws her bag across the couch as she walks through her darkened apartment; it takes her a manner of minutes to change into jeans and shirt. In the kitchen she drags a chair so she can reach the top cupboard in the kitchen. She retrieves the set of keys from the old Nike shoes box.  
  
The last thing she does is swing on the coat she wore to and from work today before slamming the door locked behind her.  
  
Downstairs her car protests at starting in the cold, it rumbles to life on the third attempt and she pulls out of the spot, turning up the radio to keep her company for the two-hour drive.  
  
~*~  
  
The I-95 south is dark and quiet, traffic is scarce, and the trip from D.C. to Richmond taking her a little less than the two hours twenty minutes it usually does.  
  
Margaret pulls up in front of the modest green house, a little after one in the morning, she fumbles for the set of keys she retrieved from the kitchen earlier, and locks her car, letting herself in the front door.  
  
She moves around the dark house with ease, heading straight for the basement and immediately clawing through the boxes stacked on the shelves till she finds what she's looking for.  
  
She opens the pink book and in the faint light that comes through the high window at ground level, she scans the vital information printed on the first page.   
  
When she reaches the fifth entry she hugs the book to her chest and slowly begins to cry, a large smile on her face. She pull her legs to her chest, crushing the book between herself as she continues to cry, head between her knees, arms wrapped around her shins.  
  
"Who's there?" a gruff males voice calls into the darkness.  
  
"It's just me dad." Margaret puts her head up watching the dark outline of her father move down the stairs.  
  
"Margaret?" his tone lessens.  
  
"Put down the baseball bat dad." Margaret says dryly.  
  
"How'd you know?" he asks reaching for the light, which casts a gently golden hue over everything.  
  
"You're always trying to be the hero." Margaret stands, walking over to embrace him leaving the book on the floor.  
  
"I got up and I heard some crying, so I came down here."  
  
"Were you sneaking chocolate again dad?" Margaret looks her father square in the eye.  
  
"Your mother has me on this diet." his voice falters as his daughter gives him a disapproving look.  
  
"You have to look after yourself dad, I want you around as long as possible."  
  
"Ha that's rich." her father smiles. "We hardly see you and I come down into my basement one night to find you crying on the floor, what's going on Maggie?"  
  
"I'm O negative dad." Margaret beams up at her father who doesn't understand, he squeezes her tightly when she pulls him into another embrace.  
  
On the floor next to the back wall is Margaret's baby book and under her full name, date of birth, length and weight measurements her blood type is recorded...O negative.  
  
~*~  
  
The sun is making its first peek above the natural features as Margaret arrives back in D.C. The tall buildings create channels of sunlight that play havoc with Margaret's ability to see the road in front of her.  
  
Inside her apartment she gets straight in the shower, ready for work after spending a couple of hours talking to her parents and the entire time of the drive back wondering what she's going to do with this information now she has it.  
  
Like staring down at the box on your drivers license, deciding whether to donate your organs or not.  
  
The gift of life.  
  
~*~  
  
Margaret goes through the day first half of the day with a serious scowl on her face as she debates with herself and the information she found out last night. The afternoon is characterized by a happy grin on her face.  
  
"Is there happy gas somewhere I'm missing out on?" Leo asks handing her three thin blue folders.  
  
"Nope." Margaret says turning on her heels and closing the door behind her.  
  
Selfless act.  
  
~*~  
  
"Did you ask?" standing outside the door Margaret listens as the President closes the door behind him.  
  
"Josh has B, Sam has A, CJ has AB and according to her Toby has a sour yellow substance instead of blood."  
  
"Oh dear." the President chuckles.  
  
"He has A type blood," Leo states matter-of-factly.  
  
"Abbey's waiting to talk to you next door." seconds later the room falls into silence as the door closes Margaret out of the conversation.  
  
~*~  
  
Charlie is sitting doing work in the outer office, out of sight Margaret paces two steps trying to calm herself and get up the nerve for what she's about to do.  
  
Taking a deep breath she marches past Charlie who looks up in surprise calling that the President is busy as her hand opens the door.  
  
He rushes after her as she continues into the middle of the room; Charlie apologizes profusely to the President and First Lady who sit on one couch facing Leo on the other.  
  
Margaret freezes, panic rising in her belly thinking she's doing the wrong thing and she's not quite sure she wants to do this now.  
  
"It's Ok Charlie." the President says slowly, Charlie disappears once again behind the closed door and the three pairs of eyes are left on Margaret.  
  
"Margaret." The First Lady says with compassion and curiosity.  
  
"I...I...I." Margaret stumbles, her hands fidgeting. "I'm very sorry about the interruption and my inappropriate behavior." she hangs her head and moves slowly towards the door.  
  
"Margaret." Leo calls as she turns the door handle.  
  
"I have O negative type blood," she blurts out when she turns to face Leo.  
  
The President and First Lady stand and turn to her faster than Margaret has ever seen them before.  
  
~*~  
  
The First Couple's eyes move to Leo who is staring blankly like he hasn't yet digested what Margaret just said.  
  
"I'm very sorry for the interruption." Margaret says hoarsely, tear brimming in her eyes.  
  
She opens the door and closes it behind her, running out of the building, bumping shoulders with people as she goes.  
  
~*~ 


	13. 13

Up to her chin in warm bubbly bath water, Margaret contemplates the  
consequences of her actions and what drove her to do what she did that  
afternoon.  
  
She hears the buzzer for the door downstairs once and she ignores it,  
instead scrubbing hard at her blotching face from where she has been  
crying.  
  
She opens the shampoo bottle wondering what force drove her to Richmond  
in the middle of the night to confirm what she already suspected, that  
she shared a similar blood type with Leo thus making her a prime  
candidate for live transplant.  
  
She wonders without gaining an answer what is driving her desire to  
donate. She's worked for the man for half her working life, but you  
don't offer half your liver as thanks for the Christmas bonus each year  
and the job stability.  
  
She thinks about her life and selfishness. Other than the odd serious  
relationship there's only ever been her and never anyone to share her  
things or life with. She makes regular donations to the Red Cross, but  
only ever as she passes the man on the corner near the Metro station and only because his eyes haunt her, as if he knows her life inside and out.  
  
The buzzer rings again as she contemplates why it was she had run from  
the Oval, when it was entirely possible after the shock wore off Leo  
would accept her generous offer whole heartedly. Was she afraid of a  
dressing down for listening to their conversations or an evil laugh from Leo who would say, I'd rather die than accept a liver from my  
secretary...that only happened in the cartoons.  
  
Mostly she thinks she is scared, scared by the fact she wants to do this unequivocally, no hesitations or considerations. And that scares her because she has never felt like that about anything before.  
  
~*~  
  
Her buzzer goes again as Margaret walks into the kitchen clad in a robe  
with a towel twirled around her hair on her head. She pads through the  
living area thinking how much she doesn't feel like visitors right now  
and cursing the persistence of this person. She opens the window a  
little looking down to see her neighbor Jimmy Hannover looking  
desperately around.  
  
The man never fails to loose his keys at least three times a week and  
doesn't hesitate to get Margaret to let him in, even at three in the  
morning.  
  
Next to her door she lets Jimmy in and flips her head over, rubbing her  
hair dry. She throws the towel over her kitchen chair to dry and turns  
on the CD in the changer. Moments later someone knocks on her door.  
  
"You gave your spare keys to Marie in number six Jimmy, because she was  
better looking than me." Margaret calls above the music.  
  
She flicks the television on and then onto mute choosing to have the  
world inside her living room on silent, she reads the snippets from CNN  
as they travel across the bottom of the screen.  
  
Her door knocks again and Margaret curses her inept neighbor as she  
throws the door open.  
  
~*~  
  
"I don't understand." Margaret fumbles. "Who let you up?"  
  
"You did."  
  
"No, no, no I let my neighbor up."  
  
"I'd been waiting a half hour before he came along."  
  
"I don't know if you should be here Leo." Margaret pushes her damp hair  
out of her face.  
  
"I wanted to talk about what went on the in the Oval."  
  
"I don't know what I feel." Margaret whispers putting one hand on the  
door and inching it closed. "Goodbye Leo."  
  
"I wish you'd talk to me Margaret." the voice floats up from the street.  
  
"I know what you want to say, I know for some reason you're afraid,  
you've already said half of it, but I can't say it for you."  
  
~*~  
  
Margaret practically pushes the door to the hotel open before the young  
man at the door has a chance to open it. The clerks behind the desk  
watch as she runs rain soaked to the elevator, pushing the button  
furiously and impatiently. She gives up when the indicator says the  
sixth floor, dashing up the stairs instead.  
  
She knocks furiously and continuously on Leos door till he opens it and  
she knocks on thin air.  
  
"I live a selfish life, I don't have anyone to share my life with, no  
husband, children, I don't even see my family that much, my father has  
had one heart attack already." her breathing is heavy from running up  
the stairs.  
  
"I donate to the Red Cross because the man on the corner near the Metro  
station trips my guilt. I would hold my still beating heart out in my  
hands for my father if it would help." her breathing gradually goes back to normal.  
  
"I can't do that however, I can only make sure my mother keeps him to  
his diet." she looks down to her shoes and then up again.  
  
"I have O negative type blood." Margaret looks him right in the eye,  
tears beginning to fall. "I can help you and I want to...please let me."  
  
Leo takes a step closer to her, brushing away her tears with the pads of his thumbs in a gesture more intimate than they usually experience. He hesitates for a moment before gently capturing her lips with his for a few brief seconds.  
  
"You're one in a billion." his hands caress the sides of her face.   
  
"About one in twenty million." Margaret smiles.  
  
"You have no idea the gift you want to give me." Leo pulls her closer in a warm embrace.  
  
"I know." Margaret replies huskily through new tears. 


	14. 14

~*~  
  
"I want you to take the next couple of days to really think it over."  
Leo looks over at Margaret whose legs are tucked under her on the seat,  
her hands around a warm cup of coffee and a towel across her shoulders  
to stop her wet hair dampening her clothes any further.  
  
"It's different to giving blood or something, it takes months to  
recover, it's painful and..."  
  
"It's giving someone the gift of life." Margaret finishes.  
  
"I want you to know I'll look after you financially." he sits on the  
edge of the coffee table in front of her. "The medical bills, the bills  
when you have to be off work..."  
  
"I don't need to think about this Leo, I know it's what I want to do."  
Margaret reaches out squeezing his hand in hers.  
  
~*~  
  
"Sir." Margaret bolts from her seat on Monday. "I didn't realize you  
were there."  
  
"That's Ok Margaret sit back down, I was just thinking I should give you my Noble Prize."  
  
"Thank you Sir but..."  
  
"You put up with that guy in there." Leo comes closer to the doorway  
between the two offices. "You make sure his life runs and now you're  
going to do this incredible unselfish thing for him." behind Margaret  
Leo leans against the doorway.  
  
"Sir, it's something I can do and if it wasn't Leo, I'd do the same for  
someone else."  
  
"I know you would." The President smiles at her and then at Leo,  
Margaret follows his gaze swinging in her chair to see Leo.  
  
"Sir we're going to have to talk about getting someone in to replace me, I'm going to be out for a month to six months." Leo explains  
  
"No need." The President waves an errant hand.  
  
"I don't think it's wise." Leo says warily.  
  
"Nah, we'll just bump everyone up a position, we'll cope." the President brushes the suggestion off.  
  
"I'm going to get someone in." Leo grins widely, heading back to his  
desk.  
  
~*~  
  
"You're going." Leo looks up as Margaret enters the office late the next afternoon, her bag under her arm, coat pulled snugly around her.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"I think I should come with you." Leo throws down his pen and gets out  
of his chair.  
  
"Leo." Margaret protests.  
  
"I heard you don't like needles," he teases pulling on his own coat.  
  
"If it turns out you are a match." Leo starts as their cab crawls  
through the mid-afternoon traffic.  
  
"I am." Margaret says firmly.  
  
"If so...I can afford the best care for both of us, I especially want  
you to have it."  
  
"What is it Leo?" Margaret looks over at him.  
  
"I want to have the transplant done at the best hospital, the thing is  
it's out of the district." Leo informs her.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Richmond, Virginia."  
  
"My parents live in Richmond, they'll be happy to have me come home."  
Margaret smiles.  
  
~*~  
  
"Leo, how have you been?" Julia Dunn asks as she closes the door to the  
consultation room.  
  
"Good."  
  
"What can I do for you?" she opens Leos medical file.  
  
"I need you to do a blood test...on Margaret." she looks first to Leo  
and then to Margaret. "Blood type." Leo adds.  
  
"You're not a regular patient of this practice are you?" Dr. Dunn asks  
Margaret.  
  
"My medical files are at a practice in Richmond." Margaret informs her.  
  
"I'll open a new file on you and I can organize to have your medical  
history sent to this practice." Julia reaches for the same needle she  
used with Leo less than a month ago.  
  
"Thank you." Margaret barely whispers as she lies herself on the table.  
  
"I take it I'm looking for a match." Julia smiles as she prepares  
Margaret's arm.  
  
"We already know it is." Leo squeezes comfortingly; Margaret's other  
hand in his. "We need you to forward the results to..."  
  
"Medical College of Virginia hospital." Margaret finishes Leos sentence  
and he can't hide the surprise on his face at her knowing. "They're the  
best," she explains simply.  
  
Leo squeezes Margaret's hand harder as the needle goes in. "Could you  
let them know we want a consultation with the transplant team when you  
send the matching results off." Leo asks full of confidence.  
  
"I can have Margaret's medical history sent there at the same time."  
Julia Dunn informs them as the needle withdraws from Margaret and she  
labels the blood.  
  
"Thank you." Leo puts pressure on the spot where the needle went into  
Margaret's arm to stop the flow of blood.  
  
"I'll get you a financial registration form which you fill out and I'll  
send to the hospital, it allows them to review your insurance  
information to determined that your coverage is adequate."  
  
"Ok." Margaret says weakly.  
  
"You don't need to sign anything yet, don't let her get up Leo." Julia  
Dunn smiles.  
  
~*~  
  
"The President doesn't like the new guy." Margaret smiles as she slips  
from the Oval office back into Leo's office.  
  
"He'll have to get used to him fast." Leo smiles looking up at her from  
the report he's reading.  
  
"I just showed him into the Oval and the President scowled at him like  
I've never seen before."  
  
"It's just a test, he's always like that in the beginning, remember the  
campaign?"  
  
"This is worse." Margaret nods and Leo looks in the direction of the  
Oval.  
  
"I should get in there." Leo sighs.  
  
"I won't be in tomorrow." Margaret reminds him.  
  
"You're meeting with them?"  
  
"At ten."  
  
"I should come with you."  
  
"Why Leo, they just want to review my medical history."  
  
"What time are you leaving?" Leo piles up what he's working on preparing to go into the Oval.  
  
"Seven."  
  
"Ok...you should go now, have an early night." he sighs not looking  
forward to entering into another Presidential rant.  
  
"Thanks." Margaret smiles.  
  
"Call me before you leave." Leo turns back before opening the adjoining  
door. 


	15. 15

~*~  
  
"Sir." Leo jumps from his chair, it's after eleven and he didn't realize his long time friend was still working.  
  
"Abbey wants you to consider Johns Hopkins." Jed Bartlet wanders into  
the office standing just inside the doorway.  
  
"For the transplant." Leo confirms.  
  
"She knows them."  
  
"I know this hospital too sir, they were first to perform an adult to  
adult living donor liver transplant, they've done fifty since then which makes them the most experienced transplant team in the country and they're constantly named one of the best hospitals in America." Leo  
rattles off the comforting statistics.  
  
"Maybe so..." The President begins.  
  
"I owe Margaret the best care possible, it's the least I can do." it's a good enough argument from Leo for the President who says goodnight and closes the door between their offices behind him.  
  
~*~  
  
"I'm not here." Margaret mumbles sleepily as she searches for her car  
keys and someone presses her buzzer downstairs to let them up. It's five to six and if she doesn't find her keys soon she's going to be late.  
  
"Keys, keys, keys." she mutters, finally finding them on top of the  
television, despite not being able to recall how they got there.  
  
She remembers Leo wanted her to call him...there's no time.  
  
"Late, late, late, going to be so late." she breathes as she shuts the  
door behind her and runs down the stairs, bumping into Jimmy Hannover  
who asks her where the fire is. A brief apology for the shoulder charge  
floats back over her shoulder as she reaches the first floor.  
  
When she gets to the bottom of the stairs she stops dead. Leo is waiting outside, pressing the button to her apartment; on the street she can see his car waiting.  
  
"Good morning Leo, aren't you supposed to be at work?" Margaret fumbles  
for her car key.  
  
"Thought you could use a lift to Richmond." he smiles.  
  
"You can't have your government car drive me to Richmond." Margaret  
smiles finally finding the car key on the ring.  
  
"I'm coming with it." he opens the door for her.  
  
"What about the President and Jack Callan?" Margaret stops.  
  
"We'll just have to hope they haven't killed each other when we get  
back." Leo smiles getting in the car after her.  
  
"You look tired." Leo says to Margaret rubbing his eyes as if he is the  
sleep deprived one; their ride had been silent up to this point.  
  
" 'Time is it?" Margaret asks.  
  
"Eight, lie down, I'll wake you when we get there." Leo goes back to  
what he is reading, but out of the corner of his eye watches Margaret  
curl her tall frame across the seat.  
  
~*~  
  
A couple of moments after the gentle flow of the car stops, Margaret  
wakes up to find Leo gone. Her legs are stiff from being curled up and  
it takes her a couple of moments to orient herself. Usually she wouldn't feel this way on a normal working day, there's something about the White House energy that wakes her up and sleep only creeps in when it's dark again.  
  
The door opens and Leo re-enters carrying two cups of coffee.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"About five minutes from the hospital, it's about twenty five to ten."  
  
"I've been asleep that whole time." Margaret gratefully takes the coffee from him.  
  
"Nervous." he asks after instructing his driver to head for the  
hospital.  
  
"It's just a medical history." she shrugs.  
  
~*~  
  
"I'll wait here." Leo says as Margaret looks at her watch, ten to ten.  
"Good luck." Leo smiles.  
  
Behind the light wooden door Margaret introduces herself to the woman  
behind the desk who greets her like a long lost friend and tells her the transplant team will be along soon.  
  
"Mark Posner, I'm the transplant surgeon."  
  
"Robert Fisher, I'm the transplant coordinator."  
  
"Dawson Sherfield, I'm also a transplant surgeon."   
  
The three distinguished men in white coats introduce themselves.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Margaret follows them down the corridor into a small conference room.  
  
"We received your matching blood type results." Dr. Posner pulls a  
medical form from the folder he's been carrying. "O negative, very  
common blood type to have live transplants."  
  
"Why is that?" Margaret has to ask.  
  
"Almost sixty percent of live donors are type O, it's simply because O  
recipients can only receive from O donors, so you're likely to wait  
longer for a cadaiveric liver. You are unrelated, which is highly  
unusual however...but by no means a problem."  
  
"We've also reviewed your medical history that Dr...." Dr. Fisher  
searches for Julia Dunn's name.  
  
"Dunn." Margaret finishes politely.  
  
"Thank you, had sent to us, so far everything is looking very promising, you have no history of bleeding problems, no history of diabetes, no prior liver surgery, no history of cancer, no psychiatric illness under treatment, you are a reasonable match for Mr. McGarry in body size and you are within our age limit." Dr. Fisher reads down Margaret's medical chart.  
  
"There are still some tests we need to do, we'd like to explain the  
surgery to you and show you some photos." Dr. Sherfield adds.  
  
"Can you meet here again, same time on Friday?"  
  
"That's no problem." Margaret straightens in her chair.  
  
"Before we can go any further we need to examine your tissue  
compatibility with Mr. McGarry's, the closer you match, the better you  
are as a candidate to donate, it also lessens the chance of rejection of your organ. We'll also be doing a cross matching test where we mix your blood with Mr. McGarry's, if your white cells are attack and die, then you're not a suitable donor I'm afraid." Dr. Posner informs Margaret  
  
"Ok then, we'll get you to follow us, it's just some routine chemistry,  
hematology, coagulation, hepatitis and viral screens we need to complete as well and we'll need you to sign a HIV consent, it won't take too long and we'll see you again on Friday." the three doctors stand and shake hands with Margaret before showing her to the nurse who sets up the tests.  
  
~*~ 


	16. 16

~*~  
  
"How'd it go?" Leo looks up from the newspaper.  
  
"It was fine." Margaret sits in the chair next to him in the waiting  
area.  
  
"But there's something isn't there." he folds the paper placing it on  
the table next to him.  
  
"I have to go see my parents and tell them, I should have done it before now, but I wasn't sure."  
  
"So lets go." Leo practically jumps from his seat.  
  
~*~  
  
"What are your chances of survival after this transplant?" Margaret  
breaks the silence in the short trip to her parent's house.  
  
"Five year survival is about sixty seven percent, that's your liver  
surviving in me, not me dying or not."  
  
"Still..."  
  
"They aren't bad odds Margaret." Leo smiles across at her.  
  
~*~  
  
"How is he?" Margaret throws her arms around her surprised mother,  
inquiring about her father. "He's fine, he's pottering around in the  
shed up the back."  
  
"This is Leo McGarry." Margaret turns encouraging Leo from the edge of  
the porch.  
  
"Sally." Margaret's mother introduces herself.  
  
"Is he eating all right, taking his medication?" Margaret follows her  
mother inside.  
  
"Not without protest." her mother laughs.  
  
"How are you?" Margaret adds sincerely.  
  
"I'm fine, it's you I'm worried about, two visits within a month and  
this time you bring your boss with you." Margaret's mother looks over at Leo.  
  
"I'll make us a drink, then I'll tell you and if we think it won't kill  
dad, then we'll tell him." Margaret busies herself in the kitchen.  
  
~*~  
  
"You can do this and it won't effect you?" Margaret's mother looks  
understandably worried between Leo and her daughter.  
  
"In about one or two months my liver will have grown back to normal."  
Margaret says positively.  
  
"So you'll be able to just..." her mother stumbles. "I don't know what I want to say."  
  
"I will live life as I always have." it earns an eye roll from her  
mother. "And Leo will have a longer life expectancy."  
  
"Ok." her mother trembles picking up the cup of lukewarm coffee, when it reaches her lips she puts it down again.  
  
"Leo is going to take care of all the money stuff, but I need you to be  
there for me, for all the rest." Margaret rests a gentle hand on her  
mothers.  
  
"This is going to kill your father." Margaret's mother smiles and brings her daughter into her arms. "I'm very proud of you...but this is going to kill your father." the two women end up laughing over each other's shoulders.  
  
"Maggie." her father booms from the back doorway and Margaret extracts  
herself from her mother, flinging herself onto her father who is just  
barely taller than she.  
  
"Where's your baseball bat dad?" Margaret asks kissing her fathers  
forehead.  
  
"In the shed why?"  
  
"Good, come and sit down, I have something to tell you."  
  
~*~  
  
"Absolutely not, I will not permit you to have yourself cut open, a  
section of your vital organ removed all in the name of saving someone  
else life...what a hideous idea." Margaret's father booms in a mock of  
refusal voice.  
  
"Thank you dad." Margaret mouths, blinking away the tears in her eyes.  
  
"I'm very proud of you, very proud of you, this is an extremely  
unselfish thing to do." her father chokes. "Though I am likely to give  
myself some of the credit for the way you've turned out," he jokes.  
  
"What did we do right with you that we neglected with your brother?"  
Margaret's father shakes his head grinning.  
  
"Your daughter is one in a billion." Leo says to both Margaret's  
parents.  
  
"About twenty million." Margaret corrects.  
  
~*~  
  
"What's your fathers prognosis?" Leo asks gently in the car on the way  
back to D.C.  
  
"He's had one heart attack already, another of his arteries will block  
if he doesn't stick to his diet."  
  
"It's volatile then." Leo looks across at her.  
  
"I don't..." Margaret pauses to regain her composure that has just  
started to slip. "...Spend enough time with them."  
  
"He's larger than life, his personality just bubbles over." Leo tells  
her and Margaret nods in agreement.  
  
"He could be gone tomorrow..." tears roll down her cheeks. "..And I  
won't have said half the things I want to say to him before he goes or  
tell him all the things he means to me."  
  
Leo slides across to her seat putting an arm around her.  
  
"And I don't know if my mother could cope without him, she needs someone to be dependent on her."  
  
He pulls her in closer to him as silent tears continue to fall and he  
wonders if she realizes that so much she has just said here can be said  
about them.  
  
~*~ 


	17. 17

~*~  
  
"Are you coming back here when you're done?" Leo asks Margaret Thursday  
evening.  
  
"Depends how long it takes." she sighs praying he'll be gentle with the  
temp.  
  
"I'm sorry I can't come this time." he pulls her scarf so it falls  
evenly around her neck.  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow." Margaret smiles.  
  
"I'm Elizabeth McKenzie." the short blonde haired woman introduces  
herself as Margaret stands out of the chair in the waiting area. "I'll  
be the social worker for your donation."  
  
"I noticed you met with the transplant team earlier in the week, they're very good." Elizabeth smiles across the table to Margaret in the small meeting room.   
  
"I know that is the reason why Leo chose this hospital." Margaret nods.  
  
"I have a couple of small concerns which will be addressed in  
psychological tests later today, but for now I want to bring some  
important issues to your attention." Elizabeth McKenzie spreads out  
three pieces of paper in front of her.  
  
"Do you have a good support network around you? You're going to need  
help when you get out of hospital and are still recovering, you won't be able to lift things or strain yourself"  
  
"I have my friends at work and my parents live here in Richmond, so  
they'll be able to help me through."  
  
"Your insurance is sufficient to cover the operation, however we're  
concerned about your ability to cover your expenses after the operation, it's likely that you won't be able to return to work for a couple of months after the operation and your government entitlements won't cover the entire period."  
  
"Leo...Mr. McGarry has promised to cover any expenses I have."  
  
"This won't hinder on his ability to cover his own expenses, his surgery and recovering is decidedly more expensive that yours."  
  
"Combined it's likely to be a drop in the pond." Margaret smiles.  
  
"What is your relationship to Mr. McGarry?" Elizabeth looks up at her  
with wide eyes and Margaret takes a deep breath before answering.  
  
"He's my boss technically, however he's provided stability, security and friendship in my life which I am very grateful for."  
  
"How did you come about to offer to donate to Mr. McGarry?"  
  
"I overheard a conversation one night, Leo...Mr. McGarry told someone  
else in his office that none his family or friends shared a matching  
blood type, I knew I did."  
  
"So what motivated you then?"  
  
"My father has already had one heart attack and if I could help him in  
this way I would, but I can't, and I can help Leo. I don't have a  
partner or children so my life is full of myself, this is something  
incredibly unselfish and a great gift I can give someone."  
  
Elizabeth McKenzie looks up a Margaret smiling, her eyes twinkling.  
"We'll have to confirm the financial status of Mr. McGarry. When we meet again, I'd encourage you to bring along your family and friends who are going to support you during transplant."  
"Oh they'll be here." Margaret laughs.  
  
"I'm going to show you some photos of a transplant, I want you to look  
carefully at each one knowing you can pull out of this at any stage, I'm here to answer any questions you might have as well."  
  
Margaret flips through the dozen or so enlarged photos of the surgical  
procedure, it simply doesn't faze her in the least.  
  
"You need to be aware." Elizabeth pushes back into her seat, "Obviously  
this is going to be very taxing on your body, however from initial  
observations you seem equipped to cope with this, however in these  
situations a 'gift exchange' feeling can arrive, where the recipient  
feels they owe the donor, a repayment or a feeling of indebtedness. I'll be asking Mr. McGarry about this. What is more relevant for you is often after transplantation occurs there can be problems with depression for the donor when the focus is shifted onto the recipient."  
  
"I work upwards of twelve hours a day with Mr. McGarry, I know what he  
has to do for the rest of his life and I pushed him from the beginning  
to call his family...I imagine I'll play some role in more of his life  
after the transplant...and even if I didn't, I don't mind."  
  
It takes a couple of minutes for Elizabeth to finish making notes;  
Margaret waits a little tense looking anywhere but at the social worker.  
  
"I have to take you down the corridor a bit now because they need to run some more tests. I'm no medical expert but they tell me it's a chest X-Ray, an MRI, an EKG and Echocardiogram, a stress test and a PFT." Elizabeth gathers her file.  
  
"It all means nothing to me." she laughs leading Margaret past door  
after door.  
  
"I have a fair idea." Margaret smiles silently thanking the First Lady.  
  
"They usually ask for a dental report, do you have then with you?"  
Elizabeth stops, turning to look back at Margaret.  
  
"I asked for it to be sent to you."  
  
"And you'll have to take a pap smear and I know the reason for that is  
to check if you have any cancer cells." Elizabeth starts walking again.  
  
"I think they check for decay and infection with that dental report."  
Elizabeth stops outside a bright blue door.  
  
"Oh and then you have a meeting with the hepatmologist, he's the liver  
specialist, later this afternoon when your tests results are in. He  
reviews your results and orders some further testing that are a little  
more invasive." Elizabeth looks through the small window in the door,  
signaling their arrival.  
  
"I'm going to be around for a while, I'm going to take you through the  
psychological tests and then I'll take you to meet the liver specialist, so if at any time there's anything you want to ask, don't hesitate." she opens the door showing Margaret into her next round of poking and prodding.  
  
~*~ 


	18. 18

~*~  
  
"Is there someone you'd like me to call for you?" Elizabeth's voice  
rises over the shower, the cardiac tests having left Margaret sweaty.  
  
"Why?" Margaret asks turning off the spray and reaching for the white  
towel.  
  
"The next procedure is invasive, you'll have to be here for several  
hours afterwards, I thought you might like company."  
  
Margaret takes a moment to think.  
  
"Can the recipient come?" she asks hesitantly.  
  
"I'll ring Mr. McGarry." Margaret can hear the smile in Elizabeth's  
voice.  
  
~*~  
  
Margaret watches him rush past her room at first, she counts to three  
before he enters her room, the woman in the bed next to her recognizes  
him and watches astounded as he presses a kiss to her forehead.  
  
"What did you have done?" he asks concerned.  
  
"The liver specialist did a hepatic angiogram." Margaret says slowly.  
"They stuck some dye through my artery and put my through an X-Ray to  
map out my blood vessels then a CT scan to generate a three dimensional  
image of my liver."  
  
"Fun." Leo says dryly.  
  
"They promised they'd frame the image for me." Margaret smiles.  
  
"How long do you have to stay, I knew I should have come." Leo mutters.  
  
"Only another hour or so, it's just so I don't bleed to death on the  
street."  
  
"Do you want to give up yet?" Leo looks right at her.  
  
"Never." she smiles.  
  
~*~  
  
"I need to speak to someone from Transport today." Leo sighs.  
  
"You don't have time." Margaret sighs equally.  
  
"Put them in somewhere." Leo presses send on another email.  
  
"There's nowhere." Margaret looks down at the schedule.  
  
"Tighten someone up then." Leo starts replying to the next email as the  
phone rings.  
  
"Leo McGarry's office." Margaret answers efficiently.  
  
"Yes it is." her voice climbs to a happy tone.  
  
"No he's here, I can tell him." she looks over at Leo who looks over his  
shoulder to her, trying to guess who's on the phone.  
  
"That's terrific...no I'll tell him right away...thank you very much."  
Margaret smiles from ear to ear.  
  
"Who was that?" Leo asks, he's forgotten about his emails.  
  
"I've been cleared Leo." Margaret says seriously and he slowly catches  
on. "I've been approved to be your donor."  
  
Standing out of his seat which fly's back against the cupboards on its  
wheels, Leo walks calmly around his desk and throws his arms around  
Margaret standing on his toes to reach her height.  
  
"Are you all right," she asks after a minute or two as he grips her  
harder.  
  
"I've never been better." he gently lets her go and raises a palm to cup her cheek, instead it hangs mid air.  
  
"Thank you," he says quietly choosing to squeeze her hand in his  
instead.  
  
~*~  
  
"The room was all right?" Leo leans against the doorframe of Margaret's  
Richmond hotel room.  
  
"The bathroom is half the size of my place, you really didn't need to."  
Margaret's surveys the place, the Friday mid morning sun streaming in  
where she'd just opened the curtains.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"I'll be there in a minute, I'll meet you downstairs."  
  
In the lobby Mallory and Jenny look nervous, both hug Margaret hello  
when she asks where Leo is. Out front he gets them a cab and directs the driver to the hospital.  
  
~*~  
  
Margaret's parents are waiting at admission, her face lights up when her brother immerges from behind her father. She hugs him hard, shedding a little tear because he's kind of the black sheep of the family, and playing happy families is a role he's never been comfortable in, so it takes a lot for him to re-appear from the wood work.  
  
"You always were a better human being than me Maggie," he says squeezing her tighter.  
  
There's an unusual moment as Margaret introduces her family to Leos, it  
feels strangely like introducing to be in-laws, its kept brief as the  
transplant team arrives and another round of introductions begins.  
  
As the large and mixed group follows the doctors down the corridors,  
Margaret walks to the back with Leo.  
  
"It's need to know time Leo, people are starting to notice Jack Callan  
is around a lot and they're asking where you and I are going." Margaret  
whispers.  
  
"Monday." he promises. "I just need to focus on this now."  
  
~*~ 


	19. 19

~*~  
  
"I thought we'd run through the actual procedure first." Dr. Posner  
surveys the concerned faces looking at him.  
  
"Margaret and Leo will be admitted to the hospital a day before surgery, neither can eat anything for at least eight hours before hand. They'll be given a general anesthesia so they'll be asleep during the surgery and will be operated on side by side. There will be an IV in their arm for antibiotics. Margaret will have the entire left lobe of her liver removed as she and Leo are of similar or lesser size, her liver will be flushed with a preserving solution. It is also necessary to remove some of the bile system as well. A section of the sapheous vein in Margaret's legs will also be removed because some of the veins and arteries attached to the liver are not sufficiently large enough for transplantation. In the other operating room we will be removing Leos liver which takes around three to five hours, the surgeon who in this case is Dr. Fisher will create an upside down Y incision across his chest, pointing down his left and right sides. While this is occurring a T-tube is inserted near the incision, this helps to drain bile from the liver until the transplanted liver's bile system is healed, this tube remains in place for several months after the surgery until drainage is effective. As well as this a catheter will be inserted under Leos arms and in his groin on one side, this is so we can detour the blood from the liver to a bypass machine until the new liver is working correctly. The new liver works as soon as all the blood vessels are surgically joined. You may need blood transfusions during or after the operation, we usually ask the patients to donate in the weeks before the surgery. Margaret's surgery will take about eight hours, Leos anywhere onwards from eight hours. This is because of the large number of blood vessels in the liver and the large exposed area created."  
  
"How long before Margaret's liver grows back?" her brother asks.  
  
"Generally two months, you should know that the left side won't grow  
back, instead the right side increases in size."  
  
"Can we see them when they come out of surgery?" Mallory asks anxiously.  
  
"They'll be in the Intensive Care Unit, you can visit as soon as they're stable and settled, however both Leo and Margaret will have a  
nastro-gastric tube down their nose and stomach to prevent nausea and  
help them breath for about twenty four hours after the surgery, they'll  
be receiving fluids through the IV and will have a Foley catheter in  
their bladders to drain urine a nasogastric tube in their stomachs to  
drain stomach content and a surgical drain near the incision to remove  
blood and fluid, so they might not feel like guests."  
  
A small nervous laugh rounds the room.  
  
"Eventually both will return to regular hospital beds where they will  
start resuming daily activities like walking, dressing, grooming and  
bathing." Dr. Posner accentuates bathing. "Margaret's stay should only  
be around a week or so, she will have to come back regularly as an out  
patient for a little while, there's no medications she'll need to take  
and she can go back to work in a month or two."  
  
"Leo on the other hand." Dr. Sherfield speaks up for the first time.  
"Will stay for two to three weeks, he'll be immunosuppressed to minimize the risk that his body will reject the new liver, he'll have to check back with us regularly to prevent rejection once he's out of hospital, there are medications he will have to take for life however he should be back at work in three to six months."  
  
"Closer to six I hope." Mallory mumbles and Leo shoots her look.  
  
"What are the risks?" Jenny asks hoarsely.  
  
"Pain is the obvious one, however this will be managed with medication,  
the wound from the incision could become infected which will delay the  
healing process and could results in scarring, in the event of this  
occurring we use a strong course of antibiotics. Pneumonia can sometimes result as a consequence of the anesthesia; we'll be asking Margaret and Leo to breath and cough deeply following the surgery to combat this risk. Some patients have an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, however our pre-transplant screening should wipe out any chance of this occurring. In Leos case outright rejection of the liver, blood clotting in the legs however both Leo and Margaret will have to wear stockings which we inflate periodically to apply pressure to and improve the circulation, hemorrhaging or obstruction of the bile drainage system. We are aware of these complications and are always on the look out for them, fortunately there has only been one deaths from live transplant world wide, the risk is around 0.05%."  
  
"We need to take Leo and Margaret to run some more comprehensive test to make sure they are fit for the surgery, however Elizabeth McKenzie is our social worker, she's going to stay behind and answer any more  
questions you might have." Dr. Fisher concludes scanning the families  
still concerned faces.  
  
"We won't take up too much more of your time." Dr. Posner promises as he motions for Leo and Margaret to join them.  
  
~*~  
  
"We ask that you donate one unit of blood that will be given back to you during the surgery." the nurse in the blood bank tells them as she  
prepares Leos arm, her younger colleague the same for Margaret.  
  
"Have you set a date?" Margaret's nurse asks.  
  
"It's been set for us in two weeks time." Margaret smiles, if she gets  
nothing else out of this, she's become better accustomed to needles.  
  
In the chair next to her Leo reaches over with his left hand to grab her left and hold it awkwardly as the needle goes in.  
  
~*~ 


	20. 20

~*~  
  
"This is a prescription for iron tablets." Dr. Fisher tells Margaret as  
he scribbles in his illegible handwriting. "And as if you hadn't already been jabbed enough, I need to give you a shot of Epogen."  
  
"While I'm doing that, you can sign these consent papers Mr. McGarry."  
Dr. Fisher produces three pages of consent files and then begins to  
prepare Margaret's injection.  
  
"Epogen is a version of a human protein which will stimulate your bodies production of red blood cells." Dr. Fisher explains as the needle punctures Margaret's skin...again.  
  
"You'll be happy to know however, as soon as you've both signed the  
consent papers you can go. I'll see you Margaret in a week for a top up  
shot and Leo in two weeks." Dr. Fisher surmises.  
  
~*~  
  
The trip back to Washington is silent, Jenny and Mallory sit up the  
front and in the back Leo and Margaret are concerned only with their  
thoughts. Margaret notices every now and then a glance into the back  
from Jenny, but she never says anything.  
  
The goodbyes are short and practical as Leo opts to end the journey at  
Margaret's place, he barely watches as the car with his daughter and  
ex-wife disappears down the street.  
  
"Can you organize everyone to be in my office tomorrow?" he pushes his  
hands deeper into his pockets.  
  
"First thing?"  
  
"Might as well, CJ's going to know about press statements." he sighs not looking forward to that part.  
  
"Let's not discuss it here."  
  
~*~  
  
"What are you going to do?" Margaret's asks looking out her kitchen  
window sitting next to Leo.  
  
"I want to tell them what you're doing for me." Leo's coffee mug chinks  
against the table. "But I think the limelight will be a bit to bright on you." he turns his attention away from the window.  
  
"Too much pressure." he turns to meet her eyes and then looks back into  
his cup.  
  
"It should just be an anonymous donor then." Margaret confirms meeting  
eyes with his again.  
  
"All right." he nods focusing on the empty cup again. "I should go," he  
says looking up abruptly.  
  
Margaret nods watching him step down from her high kitchen chairs. He  
pulls his jacket on and stops for a moment.  
  
Gently his lips sweep onto her cheek, pausing for a moment.  
  
"Thank you," he says again.  
  
~*~  
  
"Had you're Epogen have you?" Leo asks a week later catching Margaret on her way back to the office from Richmond.  
  
"You have a meeting now," she reminds him.  
  
"Who?" he asks opening the door to his office to find then entire Senior Staff waiting for him. He shuts it quickly again.  
  
"You have to tell them Leo, you've ducked and avoided for too long."  
Margaret stands firm.  
  
"They care, they'll be worried, and they'll want to help." Margaret  
continues.  
  
"Ok." Leo concedes putting one hand on the door handle. "You're coming  
in right?" he looks back to Margaret.  
  
"Right behind you."  
  
~*~  
  
It's four thirty and still to early, but Leo wanders around the Richmond hotel room he's spent the night in. He doesn't have to be at the hospital till seven and it's too early to open the connecting doors and wake Margaret.  
  
Instead he watches the sun rise over the skyline, but by a quarter to  
six he can't wait any longer.  
  
Her room is dark, the heavy curtains drawn tightly closed, she sleeps  
slightly curled on the left side of the bed, her short red hair doing  
it's best to cover the white pillow.  
  
He sits carefully into the side of the bed, bending it slowly under his  
weight. He leans in and kisses her platonically on the lips hoping  
she'll stir. When she doesn't he kisses her again on the forehead this  
time.  
  
He checks the alarm that is set for six and decides to curl up against  
her, although the amount of mattress left for him is minimal. It doesn't worry him though as he curves himself around her back, putting a protective arm across her because she is very important and precious to him.  
  
With a minute left before the alarm goes off he lifts his head to see if her eyes are open, they flutter to life as the continuous beep of the alarm starts. It takes her a moment to realize he's there and when she does she flips over so fast she nearly pushes him out of the bed.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" she asks politely though not a little bit  
shocked.  
  
For a moment he looks hurt.  
  
"You couldn't sleep?" she says softly as his hand inches to brush the  
bright red hair from her cheek.  
  
"I dreamed someone came and took you away." his fingers lightly brush  
against her skin.  
  
" 'Time is it?" she looks around to see it's a couple of minutes past  
six.  
  
"Better get up." Leo says pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the  
bed.  
  
"Are Mallory and Jenny awake?"  
  
"Don't know?" he says rubbing his face in his hands.  
  
"You have your bag packed?" she pulls the robe tight around her as she  
gets out of the other side of the bed, her bare feet making no noise  
across the carpeted floor.  
  
"What do I need?" he asks looking towards the ground.  
  
"I've packed sleepwear, grooming items, slippers, robe, books, some  
small change, any current medicines and a photo of my family. Have you  
packed the same?"  
  
"Yes." he looks up, watching her toss things around in her suitcase. She doesn't hear him move to stand next to her.   
  
It takes her by surprise when he breathes 'Margaret' practically in her  
ear. She turns, surprised to find herself face to face and even more  
surprised as he captures her lips with his and his hands glide up the  
side of her cheeks, willing her to kiss him back as passionately as he  
is kissing her.  
  
She resists for a moment but eventually looses herself, breaking gently  
only as she needs to gain air. Time seems to slow significantly as they  
stare back at one another.  
  
"I have to go get Mal and Jenny." he says dazed and swings his hand so  
his fingers brush hers slightly never taking his eyes from hers.  
  
She lets her eyes follow him as he leaves to go and wake his family in  
the next room.  
  
~*~ 


	21. 21

~*~  
  
"Are you nervous?" Leo looks across to Margaret in the back of the cab  
as they make their way to the hospital to be admitted. Her head shakes  
firmly no, full of this mornings kiss though that isn't where her focus  
needs to be.  
  
"There's no greater gratification than saving a life." Margaret tells  
him, still staring out her window. This time his hand finds hers,  
interlacing their fingers drawing Margaret's attention from the scenery  
passing outside. She stares at their joined hands for a moment and then  
looks up to Leo. She finds herself lost in his pair of eyes which say so much and this time it is Margaret who leans slightly closer to him  
allowing her lips to gently brush his before deepening the kiss.  
  
In the back of her mind as they part, Margaret wonders where in the  
timeline of the past month or so it was that comfort and support lead to holding hands and very recently romantic kisses and whether it will  
still be the same when she wakes up with half a liver.  
  
~*~  
  
"Good morning." the cheerful woman at the front office hands over the  
clipboard of admission paper work, knowing instantly who they are as Leo and Margaret settle in for a day of waiting and monitoring.  
  
Late in the afternoon Margaret after taking her father to the cardio  
ward for a check up finds Leo in the children's ward recreation room  
with the TV on CNN.  
  
"What's going on?" she asks standing next to where he sits in a  
children's plastic chair.  
  
"Treasury just..."  
  
"No I mean what's going on?" Margaret interrupts.  
  
"I had to take a break from Mal, she was..."  
  
"I don't mean that Leo." Margaret pulls up a red chair and sits next to  
him.  
  
"I kissed you, I shouldn't have done that." his eyes don't leave the TV  
screen.  
  
"I kissed you too." Margaret points out.  
  
"I don't know what...I don't know if I'm coming or going, I don't know  
what I'm feeling because you're doing this wonderful thing and I feel  
closer to you than ever, not to mention indebted to you and I don't know if it's the emotion of the whole thing and when I wake up or in a months time it will be gone or if this is my signal from a higher power telling me to wake up and see what's been right in front of me all this time and to grab it before someone else does."  
  
Leo looks at her like she might have all the answers. She can only offer a kiss on the forehead and a reminder that their beds will be ready soon and people are going to come looking for them.  
  
Margaret chooses to curl up and encourage sleep early that night after  
showering in a medicated soap, Leo on the other hand burns the oil well  
into the early morning, sitting up on the sterile smelling bed and  
thinking.  
  
~*~  
  
It's five when the fluorescents go on again, but Margaret only half  
wakes up it's not even enough to notice the numbing cream that is put on her hand for the insertion of the IV. Later at six a male nurse wakes her fully before hooking up the IV with antibiotics. Next to her Leo is being administered to in the same way.  
  
At six thirty Margaret and Leo are rolled towards the operating room.  
Along the way they stop to say goodbye to Jenny and Mallory and  
Margaret's family and before they're wheeled into separate rooms Leo  
looks across at her and says 'It's not to late to change your mind."  
  
Margaret's head nods firmly in the negative and the last things she  
remembers are climbing onto the operating table and having an oxygen  
mask placed over her face...Leo the same.  
  
~*~  
  
The next thing Margaret knows, she's being wheeled into what she  
suspects is the Intensive Care Unit, she can barely open her eyes and  
when she does she's so knocked out that she can barely see. The  
naso-gastric tube prevents her from asking what the time is or where Leo is. She continues to fade in and out of consciousness for the next  
twelve hours. At one stage her family and Jenny and Mallory come into  
see her she thinks but the morphine leaves faces blurred and images  
milky.  
  
An ICU nurse brings her a pen and paper when Leo comes into the room but Margaret writes each letter of what she wants to ask the nurse about Leo on top of each other, unable to advance the pen.  
  
She can hear the quiet conversations of the nurses going on around her  
and the gentle beeping of the machines that monitor her vital signs and  
the gentle rise and fall of the ventilator.  
  
The clock on the wall says eight am as the Intensive Care Nurse removes  
the breathing tube enabling Margaret to talk; it's been fourteen hours  
since she was taken into the operating room. She's been fully conscious  
for an hour or so and doesn't know where Leo is, she's quickly informed  
they've both been moved from the post operative room into their own  
rooms.  
  
The nurse informs her that her catheter in her bladder will be removed  
over the next twenty-four hours as well as the nasogastric tube to drain her stomach contents and the surgical drain near the incision for any blood and fluid, nobody has any real information on how Leo is.  
  
Despite drastic dryness in her mouth, the nurses in the ICU will only  
give Margaret a lemon-glycerin swab, with her bowels immobilized the  
concern is filling her stomach will lead to vomiting, undesirable after  
having her side opened.   
  
She becomes concerned when she can't feel her left arm, even after such  
a long time. When she tries to move it Margaret finds it's completely  
paralyzed and virtually insensitive. The surgeon assures her it's 'Dead  
fish syndrome' as if it is supposed to bring her some comfort, it's a  
stretched nerve injury from having her arm laid out and immobile for  
such a long period of time. By the time she's moved into the regular  
ward in another days time some of the function has returned.  
  
Jenny and Mallory come by to visit Margaret on her first day in the  
postoperative ward. They fill a grateful Margaret in on Leo's condition. They admit to being frightened seeing him hooked up to heart monitors, intravenous lines and tubes and drains. It took him about thirty six hours to recover from the anesthesia before he was strong enough to breath alone and the doctors would remove the breathing tube that was attached to the ventilator.  
  
"Is he in pain?" Margaret asks weakly, feeling not fully returned to her left arm yet.  
  
"He's on too much morphine." Mallory smiles at her mother. "He was  
garbling on this morning." both women look relieved at Leos return to  
something that resembles normalcy.  
  
"Where is he?" Margaret asks. "The post operative unit?"  
  
"They're moving him into here day after tomorrow." Jenny tells her.   
  
"I'm moving out of here tomorrow." Margaret says disappointed.  
  
"He can have visitors, as long as you're not sick because he's  
immunosuppressed." Mallory says brightly. "We're only allowed in for a  
short time in the ICU, we'll be able to stay with him all the time when  
he's moved."  
  
Their visit is cut short as an unappealing meal is rolled into  
Margaret's room and the three women hug goodbye asking them to tell Leo  
she'll be in to see him as soon as she can.  
  
~*~ 


	22. 22

~*~  
  
At the end of her second day in the Post Operative Unit, Margaret slides herself to the edge of the bed and with the help of her brother takes her first ginger steps out of the room and towards Leo's. She's slow but it doesn't matter, it's her first chance given that all her drains and catheters have been removed.  
  
Down the hall Jenny and Mallory are sitting in the cruel plastic chairs around Leo who's asleep. She's disappointed, but heartened because while he looks exhausted the yellow skin tone is gone and he looks healthier if that is possible. The respiratory therapist has been in doing breathing exercises with Leo to help clear his lungs and the same physio doing some movement exercises with him. Disappointed Margaret shuffles back to her room with the promise from Jenny and Mallory that they'll tell him she was here when he wakes.   
  
~*~  
  
The next day Margaret is moved again into a regular room, she stands  
under the pitiful shower but doesn't complain about the sporadic stream of hot water. She scrubs the strawberry shampoo through her hair and the soap across every inch of her skin and then stands under the slight stream of water till lukewarm turns to cold. She brushes her hair for the first time in days and changes out of the hospital clothes into her own.  
  
She walks to the lift un-aided and through the halls to Leo's room.  
  
Mallory is sitting on the edge of the bed blocking Margaret's view as  
she stands outside his room and watches. When she slips inside the room Mallory is lecturing him about getting out of the bed again and managing his pain better.  
  
Jenny smiles at Margaret when she sees her and tells Leo he has a  
visitor, Mallory turns to look at Margaret and announces now that she's here it's an excellent opportunity to get out of bed and go for a walk.  
  
"Hi." Leo says moving himself to the edge of the bed.  
  
"There's a sun room at the end of the hall." Mallory announces as Leo  
pulls a robe around his pajamas taking a few tender steps towards  
Margaret.  
  
"We'll be here if you need anything." Mallory informs them and Leo waves her off.  
  
"How are you?" Margaret asks as she shuffles down the hall next to him, he wobbles and Margaret puts her hand around his waist to steady him.  
  
"I haven't had a shower since God knows when and I must stink."  
  
"I had one this morning, it was heaven." Margaret smiles looking down at his feet, as they take small and deliberate steps.  
  
"I'm glad you haven't come to see me before now." he says as they turn  
the corner into the room full of comfortable chairs.  
  
"I was up the other day but you were asleep."  
  
"Mal was scared." he looks around pointing to a pair of chairs in the  
sunlight. "I was very thin, I had a lot of fluid retention. I was more  
jaundiced than before I had the surgery and apparently for the first  
couple of days I had this absolutely crazed expression on my face."  
  
"Jenny said I was speaking in absolute minimal terms and I looked like  
Frankenstein." he lowers himself gently into the chair. "I didn't ask if it made our marriage look like a picnic. Mallory said sometimes I would stop speaking mid sentence, she laughed because she said I looked like I had to physically kick start my mouth by stroking my cheek."  
  
"Sometimes I woke from the most vivid dreams and I sometimes thought  
they were real despite being the most bizarre things." Margaret smiles.  
  
"Were you in any pain?" his eyes are hazy as if he's exhausted.  
  
"None at all." Margaret shakes her head. "You."  
  
"No, but they've got me doing my own pain management down her and I've  
been getting a lecture from Mallory about it," he smiles a little.  
  
"I spoke to CJ, they're all coming to see us in the next couple of  
days."  
  
"Not before I have a shower I hope." Leo shakes his head.  
  
"You look fine." Margaret smiles settling a piece of hair that is  
sticking up.  
  
"So do you." Leo reaches a wobbling hand towards her cheek, Margaret  
takes it in hers, guiding it the rest of the way. "Did I ever tell you  
how grateful I am?"  
  
"Can I...?" Margaret falters leaning in and kissing him gently for a  
minute then wrapping her arms carefully around him as if he might break.  
  
"I'm going to be discharged soon," she says over his shoulder.  
  
"Are you staying in Richmond?" he asks holding her a little tighter.  
  
"At my parents...I'll come and see you." she promises, letting him go  
slowly.  
  
"I need to go back," he says regretfully.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey." CJ's head pokes around Margaret's door with a bunch of bright  
flowers in her hand and Margaret is so pleased to see faces other than  
the doctors, nurses and her family.  
  
"You look good." Sam follows her.  
  
"Where are the others?" Margaret asks expecting her room to be full.  
  
"Someone has to hold down the fort." Sam explains.  
  
"How's Jack Callan?" Margaret has to ask accepting the flowers from CJ.  
  
Sam and CJ look across Margaret's bed at one another.  
  
"What?" Margaret asks, her mind rolling with thousands of horrible  
scenarios.  
  
"Sam saw him kissing the temp in his office."  
  
"Leo's office." Sam corrects.  
  
"Oh God." Margaret groans.  
  
"Josh had to pull him aside and have words."  
  
"Oh God." Margaret repeats.  
  
"Leo really knows how to pick em' " CJ says dryly.  
  
"Does the President know?" Margaret panics.  
  
"No, and Donna has taken over in Callan's office." Sam explains.  
  
"Leo can't know about this." Margaret says firmly.  
  
"We're not about to send him back to the operating room for a heart  
attack." CJ assures.  
  
"How is he?" Sam asks concerned.  
  
"He doesn't look good, but so far there have been no complications so  
it's looking promising." Margaret sighs.  
  
"We'll come say goodbye on the way out." CJ promises.  
  
"Don't tell him." Margaret reminds them before they both slip out the  
door.  
  
~*~ 


	23. 23

~*~  
  
"Morning Margaret." Dr. Posner greets as Margaret does her third flick through the channels that the hospital offers, boredom has set in and her brother has run out of stories to tell her.  
  
"Morning." Margaret says with an edge of grumpiness.  
  
"Looking forward to going home today?" he reviews Margaret's chart for the past couple of days.  
  
"I am." she perks up turning the TV off.  
  
"Just a few things before I discharge you." he looks up straight at Margaret.  
  
"There are no medications we require you to take, you can return to work within a month to two months, depending on how you feel." the doctor sits on the end of her bed. "There's no dietary restrictions but you  
cannot strain yourself or lift heavy things for a month. You can't ride a motorcycle because you aren't protected."  
  
On the other side of the bed Margaret's brother smiles.  
  
"No football, soccer or other contact sports." Dr Posner smiles. "Before you leave you need to make an appointment with the transplant team for next week and then for the next several weeks, we'll be checking your  
progress and removing your staples over that time."  
  
"Other than that you can go home." the doctor scrawls his signature on the bottom of the page.  
  
"Thank you." Margaret says relieved to be escaping the sterile hospital smell.  
  
"We'll be seeing Mr. McGarry this afternoon to talk about his medications, you might want to be there."  
  
"I do, thank you." Margaret says softly, stopping from her climbing out of the bed.  
  
~*~  
  
After almost a week in hospital which by most standards is a speedy recovering, the last place Margaret wants to come back to the next day is the hospital, however as she walks along the stark white walls towards Leo's room she reminds herself why she's doing this.  
  
His bed is empty when she enters the room, Mallory is pacing the small floor space and Jenny is sitting in her chair turning a Kleenex over and over in her hand.  
  
Jenny sees her first as Margaret opens her mouth to ask where he is, but her adrenalin stops any words coming out of her mouth.  
  
"His enzymes have been elevated." Margaret can swear Jenny's been crying. "They've taken him for a biopsy, an arteriogram, a cholangiogram and an ultrasound." The word ultrasound barely makes it from Jenny's lips.  
  
Mallory stops pacing, looking right at Margaret who can see quite obviously she's been crying. "He might be experiencing rejection." she stumbles and Margaret stumbles into the nearest chair in despair.  
  
It takes two hours before a doctor gets back to them.  
  
~*~  
  
Three hours later Leo is back in his room sedated and the three women have learnt that the man that means so much to them has experienced preservation due to the time in which Margaret's liver is without blood supply and oxygen, unusual for a liver donor they are told but  
apparently it took longer than expected to remove Leo's old liver due to its diminishing state.  
  
Margaret would have yelled about not being told before now if they hadn't been told the prognosis was good, the liver would recover and all that was required was a change in dosage of the anti-rejection medicine that Leo had been getting since the transplant.  
  
Against doctors recommendations Margaret sleeps the night in the hard visitors chairs.  
  
~*~  
  
"Margaret." the soft voice intrudes her slumber the next morning, she blinks one eye open and then two, slowly taking in her surroundings and remembering.  
  
"Margaret." Leo calls again as she jumps to his side looking for the nurse call button.  
  
"It's ok." Margaret says pressing the call button and looking for somewhere to put a comforting hand on Leo.  
  
It only takes a matter of moments for two nurses to appear and to update Leo's chart. They announce happily that he's fine, just a little side effect from the sedative from the day before. When they're gone Leo's  
hand slides out from under the white sheet, Margaret grabs her chair pulling it closer to the bed and clasps her hand in his watching him slip in and out of consciousness for the next twelve hours.  
  
~*~  
  
On the second day after the rejection scare, Leo is moved into a regular hospital room and when Margaret arrives mid-morning having gone to the fourth floor transplant post operative ward rather than the second floor regular ward, Leo is taking a much craved shower.  
  
The transplant team arrives at midday and by this time Leo has shaved, combed his hair and is generally starting to feel like a human again. He's been out of bed walking around and eaten all of the meal in front  
of him despite it's sub-standard.  
  
"Standing room only." Dr. Posner jokes looking around the room from Jenny to Mallory to Margaret to Leo.  
  
Dr. Sherfield hands around a white sheet of paper with the heading pill sheet on it as the other doctors settle around the room anywhere they can find a place.  
  
"This will be your bible Leo." Dr. Fisher jokes, "It explains the doses and names of the medications you're currently on and will continue to take when you leave this hospital, some for the rest of your life. It's  
also a schedule and checklist until you become comfortable with the routine."  
  
"You should follow a low salt diet when we discharge you, there are no protein or fluid restrictions other than the obvious." an understanding of the word alcohol goes around the room.  
  
"You can go back to work between three and six months after the transplant." Dr. Fisher continues. "We're very pleased with your progress, usually after three to six months your chances of rejection lessen."  
  
"We're going to see you every day up until your release and gradually teach you the things you need to know. Follow up care requires you to know how to take your pulse, temperature, weight, blood pressure, how to  
recognize rejection, how to have blood drawn, how to take your medicines, when to see your doctor, when to call us and how to care for your T-tube."  
  
"Is that all?" Leo jokes.  
  
"It's really not that hard." Dr. Posner smiles reassuringly to everyone in the room.  
  
~*~ 


	24. 24

~*~  
  
Three days later Mallory and Margaret sat on opposite sides of Leos bed trying to out do each other on who knew more about Leo's medication.  
  
"Cycloporin." Margaret challenged.  
  
"Anti rejection drug, suppresses immune system, side effects high blood pressure, damage to kidneys, trembling hands, swelling of gums, stomach upsets, headache, increased chance of infection, increased hair growth." Mallory rattles off, falling into a pit of laughter imagining her father as a hairy ape-man as a result of the medicine.  
  
"Ah but you forgot, must be taken within five minutes of opening package and can't be taken with grapefruit juice." Margaret adds.  
  
"Prograf." Mallory challenges.  
  
"Same effect as last drug." Margaret considers carefully. "Side effects high blood pressure, damage to kidneys, slight trembling of hands, stomach upset and increased risk of infection. Should be taken on an  
empty stomach and one hour before meals or two hours after."  
  
"Damn." Mallory shakes her head.  
  
"Chance to redeem yourself." Margaret offers. "Cell cept."  
  
"Anti rejection drug, inhibits formation of white blood cells which are responsible for rejection response, side effects stomach upset, stomach bleeding, increased risk of infection, decreased white blood cells...Duh!" Mallory adds.  
  
"All right." Margaret admits Mallory got it right.  
  
"Azathioprine." Mallory says.  
  
"Anti-rejection, stops white blood cells forming, side effects stomach upset, decreased red blood cells, bruising or bleeding, increased risk of infection, darkening or urine...hair loss." Margaret states  
confidently.  
  
"You won't need to worry about hair loss dad, it'll be countered by that other drug." Mallory addresses Leo who is flicking the TV channels.  
  
"Enough with the ER." he grumbles.  
  
"Deltasone, steroid to prevent rejection, side effects water retention, thus swelling of ankles, hands and face, facial puffiness, increased appetite, blood sugar elevation, bruising, susceptibility to infection." Jenny rattles off getting increasingly upset. "Stomach ulcers, bone disease, night sweats, mood changes, nightmares, acne and cataracts." tears start welling in her eyes.  
  
"This isn't a game," she says starting to cry and running from the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"I've run out of clothes." Margaret over hears Jenny tell Mallory in the hall of the morning of Leo's discharge.  
  
"I'm only entitled to three days of paid family medical emergency leave." Mallory sighs as Margaret stops her approach. "I've taken...how many without pay." she sighs again.  
  
"You go back tonight." Jenny says.  
  
"You sure."  
  
"You can bring me some clothes on the weekend." Jenny asks.  
  
"I love you." Mallory says as Margaret turns the corner making her presence known.  
  
Later that night Leo goes back to the same Richmond hotel and after seeing he's safe, Margaret goes home to the welcoming arms of her family.  
  
~*~  
  
"How is he?" Margaret asks when Jenny opens the door the next morning.  
  
"He's still fairly loopy from the Prograf and agitated he didn't really sleep in anything that resembled a normal sleeping pattern last night."  
  
"You should get some sleep." Margaret offers.  
  
"That'd be great." Jenny says relieved.  
  
"I wanted to say." Margaret says as Jenny gathers her things. "I think it's really wonderful what you're doing for him. You are divorced, so legally you don't have to care."  
  
"I'll always love him Margaret." Jenny says softly, smiling as she crosses the room, thanking Margaret one last time before she closes the door behind her.  
  
~*~  
  
Over the next week or so, each woman monitors the vital aspects which Leo requires every day as they'd all been shown in the hospital, his water retention starts to disappear and as a results the dosage of Prograf goes down as set by the transplant team on the daily visits they make back to the hospital.  
  
Margaret has the staples removed from her side and the bruise she had incurred from where they'd expanded her ribs to access her liver stops changing a different color from morning to morning. Her arm from the stretched nerve damage is still hypersensitive to touch and temperature.  
  
Leo could read more than one paragraph of a book with the declining dosage of Prograf, it meant increased concentration and had visits from Toby and Josh who stayed silent on any activity at the White House.  
  
~*~  
  
"How is the press?" Margaret asks CJ later in following the week, it's creeping up on a fortnight since the operation and Leo has had no other contact with the President except phone calls due to the logistics of a  
visit.  
  
"They were sympathetic towards Leo, it's really a non story." CJ explains. "I'm sorry to say no one seemed to notice your absence. Some did ask and I told them that you took the opportunity for some leave while Leo was out of the office. It was good enough explanation for the Boston Globe anyway."  
  
"Good." Margaret says glad this whole thing has gone by quietly, it's stressful enough without press outside the hotels front doors, or hounding her for a quote.  
  
"How is he?" CJ asks the questions she's asked so many times before.  
  
"Getting better, one of the drugs was so highly dosed it was knocking him about, we went out for dinner last night and he coped all right, though one of the drugs has a thin-skinned effect on him, he gets nervy  
in traffic situations or if dogs bark close by. The dosage will eventually decrease though."  
  
~*~  
  
"Margaret I need to go back to D.C. for a couple of days." Jenny approaches Margaret the next week as she stirs cream into her coffee; they've all been in Richmond for almost a month now. "There's going to  
be a stack of bills, mine and Leo's and yours. I know this is a golden opportunity to spend time with your family..."  
  
"My brother is home for the first time in years, it's not really worrying them that I'm ten minutes away instead of in the living room, you should go, I can stay." Margaret assures her.  
  
"The medical bills are already rolling in I suspect." Jenny says ominously.  
  
"I appreciate you taking care of everything for me and for Leo taking care of me." Margaret's head dips staring at the dark liquid.  
  
"It's the least we can do." Jenny smiles. "I'll be a couple of days."  
  
"Take as long as you like." Margaret nods.  
  
~*~ 


	25. 25

~*~  
  
A month after transplant, Leo's medication had settled into a regular  
pattern though he wasn't out of the rejection woods yet, only his T-  
tube remained in and he was slowly becoming a bit more active. That was  
until six when Margaret found him slumped asleep in a chair in front of  
CNN. Mallory had come down over the weekend but needed to go back to  
work and Jenny again spent a couple of days in the district fixing up  
financial commitments that needed to be met.  
  
Leo was getting tired of daily visits to the hospital and was only to  
glad to hear his visits had been extended out to once a week, Margaret  
had passed all the medical and psychological hurdles and didn't need to  
come back anymore.  
  
So that was where she found him exhausted, although Margaret was in the  
mood for some private celebration. In the kitchen she poured herself a  
glass of non-alcoholic wine, as vile as she considered the stuff and  
wandered her way into the bedroom to the overnight bag she'd bought with her from her parents house. A night of pajamas, a good movie and some cheap, non-wine was just what she needed.  
  
On the bottom of the bag she found her heart-covered pajamas, quickly  
shedding the slacks she'd put on earlier this morning and pulling the  
loose elastic pajamas around her waist. She gathers her blouse at the  
bottom pulling it as far as her head before she hears a gasp that isn't  
hers, when she gets the blouse all the way over her head and tosses it  
on the bed she turns to see Leo standing in the doorway looking shocked.  
  
"I didn't think you were awake." she stumbles not bothering with her  
state of undress.  
  
He advances towards her, never letting his eyes leave hers. When he's  
standing almost toe to toe with her he gently he takes her still tender  
left arm and places it over his shoulder. He watches as his hands run  
over the massive dark bruise, carefully over the incision line which  
will one day be a scar and the little dots where the staples kept the  
incision together till it healed sufficiently. Again he watches his  
hands map out around the extent of the bruise, up and down the line  
incision mark and figure eighting through the staple dots.  
  
"You put up with this for me." he says looking at her for the first  
time, Margaret looking up as well meeting her eyes with his, having been watching his hand movements.  
  
"I'd do it all again tomorrow." she whispers as he inches his lips  
towards hers.  
  
They meet gently the same as they had in the past, this time Margaret  
rests the other arm over his shoulder, caressing the back of his neck,  
consciously aware of his injuries. His right hand caresses her cheek and moves up through her hair, his left maintaining a protective cover over her transplant battle scars as he cautiously deepens the kiss for the first time, hesitantly introducing his tongue to hers.  
  
"I'm glad you're here." he says hovering his lips around hers before  
kissing her again.  
  
~*~  
  
Leo stirs in the early hours of the morning waking himself up, Margaret  
breathes slightly next to him but something doesn't feel right and it  
takes him only moments to wake up properly and realize his pajamas are  
soaked.  
  
When he flicks on the light he discovers one of his surgical drain sites are leaking, when he moves to shake Margaret's shoulder, fluid pours from him in an alarming steady stream.  
  
It's two thirty and the last place he wants to be is the hospital, when  
he finally wakes Margaret that is where they head.  
  
In the cab on the way back to the hotel as Leo grumbles about medical  
residents not stitching wounds properly, Margaret calls Mallory and  
Jenny leaving messages on machine letting them know what happened and  
that it wasn't serious.  
  
When they get back to the room neither wants to comprehend changing the  
sheets so they ball them up over the spot, Leo changes into some other  
pajamas and the gravitate to the other side of the bed...too tired to  
notice the lesser space. They both sleep through till mid morning when  
an anxious Jenny and Mallory arrive.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey." Leo looks up from the paper to see Margaret standing in the  
doorway, it's five weeks and counting, Jenny gives her a knowing smile,  
not at all surprised to see her here.  
  
"You're not ready." Margaret feigns exasperation.  
  
"For what?" Leo puts down the morning paper not sure what conspiracy  
he's going to find himself involved in.  
  
"Exercise." Margaret states.  
  
"Mallory just jammed vitamins down my throat and now you're taking me  
exercising. Who's next." he looks pointedly at Jenny.  
  
"I have nothing to do with it." she laughs and leaves the room.  
  
"Loose clothes check, more than two hours since you've eaten check."  
Margaret looks at her watch. "Let's go then."  
  
"Where are we going?" Leo asks in the lift down to the lobby.  
  
"The park across the street, no one expects you to run the New York  
marathon Leo, you won't even feel short of breath."  
  
~*~ 


	26. 26

~*~  
  
"We're going to do this everyday aren't we?" Leo asks as they walk side  
by side around the man made lake in the middle of the park.  
  
"Doctors orders." Margaret watches a couple of birds duck dive in the  
dark water.  
  
"There's something I need to say." Leo says slipping an arm around  
Margaret waist and pointing in the direction of the park bench.  
  
He takes a moment, once they've settled in the seat that overlooks the  
lake, to put what he wants to say into a coherent sentence, instead he  
leans in gently kissing her and tangling her red hair in his fingers.  
  
"Public Leo." she says her eyes opening gradually after the kiss has  
ended.  
  
"We're out of the district." he shrugs patting down the collar of her  
shirt.  
  
"Is that what you wanted to say?"  
  
"I figured I owed you an explanation."  
  
"You figured." Margaret sasses.  
  
"I know I owe you an explanation and here goes." he takes a deep breath. "What you've done for me is so magnificent and unselfish that I can't comprehend it, I know it comes from that good part of you which shines each and everyday and I know that I haven't always appreciated that side."  
  
He pauses before going on. "Know that I am eternally grateful to you for what you have done for me. You've given me a second chance."  
  
He stops again, raising his hands to cup her cheeks. "I've been blind to what is right in front of me and you've given me a second chance, you were right in front of me all this time and I have my second  
chance...with you if you'll have me."  
  
Margaret nods smiling.  
  
"I can't say I love you, because I just don't know yet... one day  
hopefully soon." he finishes drawing his lips to hers initiating another kiss.  
  
"You're just trying to get out of walking." Margaret teases pulling him  
up out of the chair and linking hands with his for the rest of the walk  
around the lake.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey." Margaret says softly standing in the doorway to the terrace  
watching Leo look over the Richmond skyline.  
  
"I didn't hear you," he says not turning.  
  
"Mallory and Jenny go back to D.C?" she asks leaning her back against  
the guard wall.  
  
"An hour ago." he sighs.  
  
"I bought you something." Margaret looks down at the plain bag in her  
hands.  
  
Leo gives her his full attention turning his head to look at her. Out of the bag she pulls his Armani watch and clips it on his left wrist.  
  
"It's my watch." he rolls his wrist looking at the latest addition to  
the band.  
  
"It's a medic alert plate, it'll tell others if there's an emergency  
that you're immunosuppressed, I couldn't quite picture you in a necklace or a bracelet, so I had them attach it to your watch."  
  
He looks down at the watch and back up at her again.  
  
"Thank you." he sighs with a smile on his face. "I don't think I'll ever be able to say that enough."  
  
"If I ever can't be there." Margaret voice falters and Leo grabs both  
her hands in his shaking his head vehemently.  
  
"No." he says firmly as if willing it never to occur. "I won't let it  
happen."  
  
Margaret lets the tears that have been building to roll freely down her  
face. "I think I love you," she says barely and Leo pulls her tight  
against, wrapping his arms around her for a moment and then kissing her.  
  
"I..." he starts, pulling out of the embrace.  
  
"It's Ok." Margaret assures him.   
  
"Have you eaten?" he asks leading them out of the gradually cooling air.  
  
~*~  
  
"Eighth week." Leo counts, their daily walk has increased in distance to deeper into the city.  
  
"Am I leaning to my right?" Margaret jokes referring to her increased  
right liver size.  
  
"No." Leo squints over at her and stops. "How's...?" he brushes his left hand cautiously over the spot where her liver was extracted.  
  
"It's healing fine." she looses herself in his eyes right there beside  
the busy Richmond street, covering his hands with her over the  
diminishing bruise and healing incision.  
  
"I'm going back to work next week." she links her fingers with his and  
starts them walking again.  
  
"They've said you can." Leo confirms.  
  
"I'm ready." Margaret says positively.  
  
"I'm coming back to D.C." Leo says firmly.  
  
"You..." Margaret starts to protest.  
  
"My blood pressure is stable, so is my blood sugar level, my medicines  
are balanced at the right level and they're happy with my log of the  
food I'm eating."  
  
"You're still at risk of rejection." Margaret reminds him.  
  
"I don't want to be too far from you," he confesses.  
  
~*~  
  
"Mallory." Leo smiles looking around his hotel room in D.C.  
  
Posted in his kitchen on various bright colors of paper are the names  
and doses of Leo's medication and a big poster of Leos medication  
schedule on the bedroom door, another on the doors to the terrace lists  
why Leo is taking each it is as if the kindergarten has been here.  
  
On the kitchen table a post it note reads put me in your wallet,  
underneath is a summary card of all the information on the posters  
around the room.  
  
"What are you doing now?" Leo looks around the room not knowing what to  
do while his bags are in the process of being bought up.  
  
"I was going to go home and..." Margaret pauses. "You'd like me to stay  
with you." she realizes.  
  
Leo says nothing but his face tells her what she needs to know.  
  
That night she sleeps spooned around him, her head almost touching the  
back of his neck, her arms unable to go around him because of the T-tube and his surgical incisions which haven't quite healed yet.  
  
~*~ 


	27. 27

~*~  
  
The West Wing welcomes her back whole heartedly and she quickly  
discovers working for Jack Callan is a whole other dynamic, he requires  
less structure than Leo and she's pleased to see that Josh has made sure his decisions haven't strayed to far from those that Leo would make.  
  
Her first day is wasted, although not in a bad way, visiting almost  
every staff member who ask the same questions of her over and over and  
seem to have a morbid fascination with her scars.  
  
The President promises he's coming to visit in the next couple of days  
with his wife, which Margaret knows Leo will appreciate. They ask about  
Jenny and Margaret is honest saying that since he's been back Jenny has  
taken up a respectful distance again that an ex-wife does.  
  
~*~  
  
Later in the week when everyone has realized she's not about to break  
and doesn't need to be waited on hand and foot, though it is nice,  
Margaret fills Leo in on some of the things that have been going on  
inside the mechanics of the White House.  
  
That night she opens the hotel room door to be greeted by two burly  
Secret Service Agents come to do a sweep of the room.  
  
A little annoyed at the unannounced visit, Margaret realizes when your  
President and First Lady you don't really have to pick up the phone  
first, the Secret Service does that for you.  
  
"Stick out your tongue." Dr. Bartlet asks shaking the thermometer  
between her thumb and forefinger.  
  
"Take off your shirt." Leo replies cheekily.  
  
"Leo!" Margaret swears she sees Abbey blush a little as she shakes her  
head at the silly antics and puts the thermometer under his tongue.  
  
"Abbey." Leo says in his warning tone as he sees her step up to her full doctor mode.  
  
"Indulge me Leo." she asks as she straps a blood pressure cuff to his  
arm, begrudging Leo settles back, allowing himself to be poked and  
prodded.  
  
Before she finishes she takes Leo into the bedroom to look at his T-  
tube and his surgical incisions then leaves the two men to catch up  
outside in the brisk night air.  
  
"It's bought you closer hasn't it." Abbey hands Margaret a warm mug full of coffee.  
  
Unwilling to put a value on their closeness to Abbey Bartlet a woman who in some small way intimidates her and has had little contact with on a one to one basis over the years, Margaret half shrugs her shoulders.  
  
"He thinks the world of you," she says taking a long mouthful from her  
cup.  
  
~*~  
  
"Jack Callan's office." Margaret answers the phone, for the past three  
weeks her brain has wanted to say Leo McGarry; she has to stop and think each time she picks up the phone.  
  
"Margaret." his voice is weak.  
  
"What is it Leo?" Her adrenalin immediately courses through her veins,  
one words stands foremost in her mind.  
  
"I don't feel so good." he understates.  
  
"Is it rejection Leo?" she pushes.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"Have you called Mallory and Jenny?" Margaret says urgently, looking for her bag.  
  
"No."  
  
"Call them and then call the hospital and tell them you're coming in and why." Margaret instructs. "I'm coming to get you now."  
  
The phone doesn't even hang up as Margaret drops it from her hand, she  
runs literally out of the West Wing giving CJ a garbled message that Leo is rejecting the organ and she has to go. She trusts CJ will handle it.  
  
~*~  
  
"Symptoms." Margaret demands as she drives towards Richmond.  
  
"I felt more tired than usual this morning and I was dizzy, my breath  
was short and I was experiencing pain over my abdominal."  
  
"Blood pressure." Margaret asks taking one hand off the wheel and  
placing it over Leo's.  
  
"Lower than usual."  
  
"Temperature?" she moves the same hand to his forehead.  
  
"101." he answers.  
  
"Get you there as soon as I can." Margaret promises.  
  
~*~  
  
Jenny and Mallory are waiting out front for them and have found a wheel  
chair. While Margaret parks the car they rush Leo in to see the  
transplant team.  
  
By the time she gets a park Margaret is frantic and a young nurse has to grip both her shoulders and tells her to calm before taking her to where Jenny and Mallory are waiting.  
  
More waiting.  
  
It's two hours before the transplant team gives them any information.  
  
"Leo is experiencing an acute rejection, it's the most common type of  
rejection." Dr Posner explains. "It's common for patient to feel fine  
during an acute rejection and from what Leo told us his symptoms were  
only minor, we've done a biopsy to determine it is an acute rejection  
and we've adjusted his immunosuppressant drugs to stop the process."  
  
"I'm sorry I don't understand." Mallory sounds agitated. "His body can't just detach the liver and push it out of his body."  
  
"Rejection is when your fathers body recognizes Margaret's liver as  
being not of his own or foreign, so his body fights it trying to get rid of it, to destroy it, it's a natural response of the immune system, we try and lessen the chance of this happening by suppressing Leo's immune system, however at least three quarters of all transplant recipients experience some form of rejection. Leo's fever is a normal response to fight of foreign bodies."  
  
"Can we see him?" Jenny asks.  
  
They're shown to a room down the hall where Leo is laid up on his side,  
like the first time he had a biopsy done. The three women wait in chairs around the room for the sedative to wear off.  
  
In the early hours of the morning the nurse's movements wake Margaret  
who finds herself to be the only one keeping a bedside vigil. Jenny and  
Mallory have gone to a hotel for some sleep according to the nurse who  
writes down Leo's blood pressure.  
  
"You need anything honey?" the nurse asks.  
  
"I'm fine." Margaret yawns watching her finish the hourly update move on to the next patient.  
  
She drags the chair closer to his bed, leaning her head on the rubbery  
mattress, clasping her hand in his and closing her eyes willing sleep to join her despite the cruel position.  
  
"I love you," she whispers before dozing off.  
  
~*~ 


	28. 28

~*~  
  
"Margaret." his voice calls and seems far off.  
  
"Margaret." he calls again and this time she opens her eyes, lifting her head from the mattress.  
  
The same nurse is assisting Leo to sit up. "You sleep here honey?" she  
looks tired since Margaret last saw her.  
  
"Yeah." Margaret mumbles, still a little hazy.  
  
"Lucky you don't have to be admitted for neck injury." she jokes,  
signing, smiling and leaving them alone.  
  
"Climb up here." Leo encourages pulling at her hand.  
  
"Leo." she protests.  
  
"You sleep I'll watch CNN."  
  
"I see you're feeling better." Margaret mumbles climbing onto her side  
on top of the white sheets and closing her eyes listening to the sounds  
of the Middle East conflict coming through the television.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hey." Leo smiles gently tracing the pad of his finger across her  
forehead down her cheek, across the bridge of her nose and her eyelids  
before they flutter open again.  
  
Margaret jolts up looking around for Jenny and Mallory.  
  
"They've gone to get something to eat." he says tenderly brushing his  
hands through her hair.  
  
"How long have I been asleep?" Margaret smiles at his gentle movements.  
  
"A while." he smiles leaning over and kissing her lightly.  
  
"When can you go home?" she pulls together the V-neck of his pajamas.  
  
"Day after tomorrow."  
  
"I'd better go see my family while I'm here." yet she doesn't move from  
off the bed.  
  
"You'd better," he agrees smiling.  
  
~*~  
  
"I've got to go back to work." Margaret tells him sitting on the edge of his bed the next day.  
  
"Mallory's going to drive me back to D.C." Leo looks over to his  
daughter whose head is buried in an old magazine.  
  
"I'll call you and let you know what's going on at the office." Margaret promises.  
  
"I'd appreciate that." he nods, both wishing Mallory wasn't in the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"Can you get Josh for me?" Jack Callan pokes his head into Margaret's  
office mid way through the next week, there's a serious frown on his  
face like the latest polling numbers are written in an obscure native  
Asian language.  
  
Margaret has the phone pressed to her ear, willing Leo to pick it up at  
his end...it's been a dozen rings so far.  
  
"Right now?" she asks hanging up on Leo.  
  
"As soon as." he sighs disappearing behind the closed door again.  
  
It takes Donna two rings to answer and Josh one minute to appear in her  
office.   
  
"How is he?" Josh asks as she puts the phone down to Leo again,  
unanswered.  
  
"I can't find him today." she answers hesitantly.  
  
"He's not answering?" Josh sits on the desk next to her.  
  
Margaret shakes her head in the negative, once again picking up the  
phone and dialing the hotel room.  
  
"Have you tried Jenny and Mallory?" concern creeps across Josh's  
features.  
  
"I don't want to..."  
  
"Scare them unnecessarily." Josh finishes.  
  
"Yeah." Margaret confirms turning the pages of the desk address book  
looking for the phone numbers.  
  
"What does he want?" Josh asks watching Margaret dial Mallory's number.  
  
"I don't know." Margaret answers and then reminds herself out loud both  
Mallory and Jenny will be at work.  
  
"You should go over there." Josh stands.  
  
"I can't leave." Margaret gestures to the work around her.  
  
"I'll get Donna to cover." Josh nods. "Go, it's better you find out  
where he is, it'll only prove to be distracting if you don't."  
  
~*~  
  
"Mr. McGarry is he in his room." Margaret asks frantically at the front  
desk.  
  
"Hold on I'll check." the concierge says.  
  
"No I know he's not answering the phone, has anyone seen him leave  
today?" Margaret says frustrated.  
  
"I don't believe I know you ma'am." the concierge stiffens.  
  
"I'm Mr. McGarry's assistant, he's just had a liver transplant and I'm  
his donor, I can't contact him today I need to know he's not lying dying on the floor of his room."  
  
"I think that's a bit dramatic." the concierge judges.  
  
"I've been in and out of this hotel to see him for the last month or  
so." Margaret practically yells.  
  
"All right then." the concierge says snootily finding a spare set of  
keys and requesting Margaret follow him.  
  
Upstairs she checks, Leo has taken his medication for the day and  
nothing is missing or looks out of the ordinary, yet he's not here.  
  
"The police won't file a missing person report unless he's been missing  
for more than forty eight hours miss." Margaret grits her teeth hoping  
the concierge didn't think this information would be comforting.  
  
"I need to stay and ring his family and get them over here." Margaret  
rubs her forehead.  
  
"Let me know if there's anyway I can be of any assistance." the  
concierge says before closing the door.  
  
She picks up the phone, calling him again only to get his recorded  
message again.  
  
It occurs to her he could have gone for a walk which means he could be  
anywhere in the district by now. Outside on the terrace she looks over  
the edge trying to figure out where he would walk, there are too many  
government buildings and monuments that are a possibility.  
  
"Shouldn't you be at work?" he calls, the door closing loudly behind  
him.  
  
"Where have you been?" she says angrily, nonetheless flinging herself  
gently around him.  
  
"You must have missed me." he verbally shrugs.  
  
"I've been calling." she pulls herself out of the hug.  
  
"My battery died." he sighs.  
  
"Where have you been?" she reiterates.  
  
"Richmond, a follow up check up." he says like she should know.  
  
"You didn't tell me, I thought..." he silences her fears with a long  
passionate kiss.  
  
"Do you have to go back to work now you've found me?" he asks, their  
foreheads pressed together. Margaret shakes her head against his.  
  
"Dance with me." he whispers, taking her hand in his and leading her to  
the bag he bought in with him, he opens the new CD and puts it in the  
player, the soothing sounds of an orchestra building gradually.  
  
Their feet shuffle one step slowly around the carpeted floor, her arms  
around his neck, head resting on his shoulder and his hands around her  
waist. They move slower till they stop and they're just standing in the  
middle of the floor holding each other.  
  
Margaret lifts her head from his shoulder, her eyes dreamy and meeting  
his. "I love you." she says before going to rest her head on his  
shoulder again.  
  
He stops her, gently cupping her face in his hands. "I love you  
too...I'm in love with you."  
  
~*~ 


	29. 29

~*~  
  
"Morning." Carol's cheerful voice comes down Margaret's phone line the  
next day.  
  
"Uh huh." Margaret mumbles squinting at the print on the page in front  
of her.  
  
"Listen CJ wants to see you."  
  
"Now... in her office." Margaret stops wondering what it could possibly  
be about.  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
"Ok, see you in a sec." Margaret sighs.  
  
"How's Leo?" Carol asks when she sees Margaret less than two minutes  
later.  
  
"He's good." Margaret shifts her body weight from foot to foot.  
  
"You can go in." Carol says as she picks up the ringing phone.  
  
"You wanted to see me?" Margaret hovers around the doorway.  
  
"You are not going to like me." CJ sighs and Margaret feels anxiety  
growing as she sits down.  
  
"What's this about." she asks hesitantly.  
  
"During my last briefing yesterday evening I got a question about an  
unconfirmed source he said that you were the liver donor for Leo."  
  
"It was too good to be true." Margaret says slumping in her chair.  
  
"I can play the no comment card." CJ suggests. "It is policy."  
  
"That won't satisfy them." Margaret shakes her head.  
  
"I can confirm." CJ shrugs.  
  
"I don't want to make a comment or go into the press room." Margaret  
sits up straight.  
  
"I can read a statement from you, or Carol can."  
  
"Can you just confirm that I was the donor and say I had my reasons..."  
  
"Leo is very grateful?" CJ suggests.  
  
"I have to talk to him before you can say that."  
  
"I don't know anything about arrangements between the two of you or  
money or anything, so I can just say I can't comment because I don't  
know and leave it at that."  
  
"That'd be great thank you." Margaret says looking a little relieved.  
  
"I'll talk to Jack and get you the next couple of days off, spend  
sometime with Leo and talk about it to him." CJ offers.  
  
"He must think I'm the worst assistant there is." Margaret rolls her  
eyes.  
  
"How did they find out?" CJ pushes back into her chair popping something up on her computer screen.  
  
"I don't know I haven't...Leo's hotel." it dawns on Margaret. "I was  
panicked when I couldn't get in contact with Leo yesterday and I told  
the concierge so he'd let me up into Leo's room."  
  
"Was there anyone standing around you?"  
  
"I don't know, there could have been scores of people, I had tunnel  
vision, all I was worried about was Leo."  
  
"It'd all right, I'll control it. Go and see Leo now, talk to him and  
ring me with a statement later this afternoon that I can use in this  
evenings briefing."  
  
"Thanks CJ." Margaret smiles gratefully heading back to her office.  
  
~*~  
  
"Leo?" Margaret instructs the young hotel employee next to her to open  
the door when he doesn't answer. She drops her bag on the table next to  
the door aware that he is not in the joint kitchen living area or on the terrace.  
  
She can hear the TV playing in the bedroom and that's where she finds  
him, asleep with pillows propped up behind him and the remote still in  
his hand.  
  
She puts two fingers to his neck, feeling the steady beat of his heart,  
not that there was any doubt he was alive, she still likes to check on  
his health.  
  
She slides the remote from his hands, switching the TV off and leaving  
her shoes at the foot of the bed. She lies lower on the pillows next to  
him on his right. He stirs with her quiet movement and curves farther  
down the bed next to her.  
  
A warm hand that has settled where her short blouse has crept up from  
her skirt instantly spreads a smile across her face before her eyes  
open.  
  
"I'd happily wake up to find you next to me any day." his fingers caress slightly across her bare skin.  
  
"You were asleep in front of the television so I..." she stops herself  
from explaining, electing to kiss him instead.  
  
"We're doing a lot of sleeping together, but not a lot of *sleeping*  
together." he observes.  
  
"You're not strong enough Leo." Margaret reminds him.  
  
"You didn't get fired did you?" he jokes and Margaret's face drops.  
  
"Tell me in a minute, how are you healing?" he asks concern crossing his face, the hand on her bare skin grabbing at the hem of her blouse,  
seeking permission from her eyes.  
  
The bruise is gone and the incision is mended.  
  
"You're going to scar." he runs his hand up and down the incision.  
  
"Nothing a little sun and a tan won't hide." she smiles looking down at  
her left side. "What about you?" she looks over at the cotton button  
down shirt.  
  
He shakes his head vehemently. "I still have my T-tube, it's not a  
pretty sight."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"What's going on?" his hand remains, protectively covering her scars.  
  
"I feel indescribably when you do that." Margaret tells him.  
  
"What this?" he arches his hand a little running his thumb down the  
scar.  
  
"Mmm hmm." she leans in kissing him and then remembering CJ.  
  
"I didn't get fired." she backs away lifting her head to look at the  
clock beside the bed, it's half past four.  
  
"Good." he searches her face for a clue.  
  
"The press have gotten wind that I'm your donor." she waits for his  
reply.  
  
"How?" his face contorts, trying to figure out how they discovered it.  
  
"The day I couldn't find you, I let it slip downstairs to the concierge  
so he'd let me in your room."  
  
"How do you feel about it?" he asks resting a hand on her cheek.  
  
"I just don't want to answer any questions, there's too many people  
involved in the how and why."  
  
"What did CJ say?"  
  
"She'd make a statement for me, confirmation and some sort of statement  
from you and..."  
  
"It's not to late to deny, it's still only a rumor."  
  
"I don't want people to know." Margaret says timidly.  
  
"So they won't." Leo says picking up the phone and dialing CJ's number.  
"Have dinner downstairs with me tonight." he says as he waits to be  
transferred.  
  
~*~ 


	30. 30

~*~  
  
"When's Leo coming back?" CJ asks passing Margaret's office before staff the next day.  
  
"Speak up CJ I don't think he heard you in there." Margaret smiles  
counting on her fingers. "It's been five months." she says in surprise.  
  
"I suppose he has an arrangement with Jack and the President." CJ  
shrugs.  
  
"Thank you for the way you handled the Press, CJ." Margaret says  
sincerely.  
  
"I'm sorry that they found it a stretch that someone would do something  
as unselfish as you did." CJ nods.  
  
"It's to our advantage." Margaret smiles. "You're going to be late."  
  
~*~  
  
You have no messages the mechanical female voice on the answering  
machines tells her, it's become indicative of her apartment over the  
past few months, she's spent so much time with Leo.  
  
"Uuggh." Margaret says surveying the contents of her fridge, which are  
sporadic to say the least. Instead she runs a long hot bath and tries to get some nutritional value from her strawberry bath oil.  
  
Two months off from the demands of the Chief of Staff to the President  
of the United States office and each day is leaving her significantly  
worn out. Time to shape up again she mutters to herself coming out of  
the bathroom and turning on the TV.  
  
Downstairs someone presses the button to her apartment, "Yes." she  
answers.  
  
"Maggie I've lost my keys." the whiny voice comes back and Margaret  
immediately unlocks the downstairs doors. A few moments later someone  
knocks on her door, she flings it open to find Leo standing in front of  
her with take - out and fresh flowers.  
  
"That wasn't you was it, with the keys."  
  
"What I didn't fool you." he says feigning the hurt look.  
  
"How did you know this is just what I needed?" Margaret smiles  
gratefully.  
  
~*~  
  
"I actually came for a reason." Leo puts the empty take-out container on the coffee table in front of him.  
  
"You mean there's more." Margaret smiles finishing off her own meal.  
  
"I'm coming back to work next week." he says after swallowing a mouthful of Coke.  
  
"There are so many people who are going to be glad to see you."  
  
"And the back of someone else." Leo smiles back.  
  
"No comment." Margaret smiles slyly.  
  
"There's something else." he says quietly, the change in tone capturing  
Margaret's attention. He looks around and gets out of the couch holding  
out a hand to encourage him to go with her. Inside her bedroom he stands opposite her opening one button and then two.  
  
"I want you to see I'm all right." he goes to open button three and  
Margaret stops him.  
  
"Let me." she says opening each button to the bottom of his shirt. She  
pushes it apart carefully though not prepared for what she was about to  
see. The Y shaped incision is healed yet hideous and large. Margaret  
lets her eyes wander over every inch wanting to press her fingers over  
the stitches that remain from where the T-tube was removed. Instead she  
traces her hands over the healed incisions, up the left side and down  
the right and back up again to the base of the Y.  
  
"This is you." he says taking her left hand and placing it over where  
her liver is.  
  
"And this is where I love you from." he takes the other and places it  
over his heart.  
  
"You're completely indescribable and I love you." he whispers letting  
her hands fall from his chest.  
  
"I love you." she says, little tears collecting above her bottom eyelid.  
  
"Good." he smiles reaching for the button down blouse she put on after  
she'd let him in.  
  
"Leo." she says not sure it's a good idea.  
  
"Shhh." he comforts forgetting the blouse and meeting his lips with  
hers, his hands running across her back, face and hair.  
  
"Is this such a good idea?" she breaths watching him undo her top  
button.  
  
"I have the doctors permission." he tells her gingerly opening the rest  
of her buttons.  
  
He pulls his shirt off his shoulders where it has been sitting  
precariously and then inches Margaret's off in the same fashion.  
  
"We'll take it slow." he promises forsaking the rest to kiss her again,  
tangling her hair in his hands or trailing them from her waist up.  
  
He pulls her possessively closer to her, spending ages just kissing and  
tasting her neck and shoulders. Margaret's head feels light as she lets  
herself focus only on what he's doing to her.  
  
"Hey you Ok." he looks up at her his hands finding their way to her pale stomach.  
  
She nods biting her lip before leaning in and kissing him, threading her fingers through the wiry hair that covers his chest.  
  
Leo breaks, meeting his eyes with hers and then looking down to his  
jeans, which are held up by the black belt. He feels the pads of her  
finger tips brush gently against him before delicately removing the belt from it's hole and undoing the top button the whole time never letting her eyes leave his.  
  
They slide down his hips without having to undo the fly and when they  
hit the ground he steps out of them towards her, gradually walking her  
backwards towards the bed.  
  
He sits on the end pulling her into him and wrapping his arms around  
her, above him he hears her sigh as he presses delicate kisses across  
her middle and around her navel.  
  
He looks up to see her eyes closed, her hands moving lovingly through  
his thinning hair, when her eyes open he seeks permission to remove the  
navy slacks which shimmy down her long legs.  
  
Leo stands and climbs kneeling on the bed caressing his hands up and  
down Margaret's arms. She smiles and turns it into a sweet laugh.  
  
"What?" his voice muffled as he nuzzles around behind her ear.  
  
"You're the same height as me." she smiles cupping his head in her hands and bringing his face to hers.  
  
"Shud-up." he grins initiating the kiss. Margaret moves, kneeling on the bed as she continues to kiss him, eventually bringing him down on his side to lie next to her.  
  
"What is it?" he asks when she pulls away though continuing to trace her fingers across his chest in intermittent patterns.  
  
"Nothing." she sighs happily.  
  
"We can stop." he offers.  
  
"No." she shakes her head. "I'm just happy that's all."  
  
"Good." he says as he continues to explore every inch of her exposed  
smooth skin.  
  
"Leo." she stops him a couple of minutes later, taking his hands in hers and sliding them around her back to the hooks of her bra.  
  
He unsnaps it carefully watching the straps and cups loosen while  
encouraging her gently onto her back and supporting himself over her.  
  
"You shouldn't be straining your upper body." she says concerned as he  
pushes one strap off her shoulder.  
  
"It's all right." he soothes pushing down the other.  
  
"We don't have to do it like two sex crazed teenagers." she says firmly  
rolling again onto her side, leaving Leo no option but to roll ahead of  
her.  
  
"Pushy in the bedroom as well." he teases pulling her bra completely  
off.  
  
"For your own good." she gasps as he kisses gently all over the gradual  
swell of her breasts, down the valley between them and across to the  
dark centered nipple.  
  
"You're beautiful." Leo looks up, so deep into Margaret's eyes that it  
almost scares her and they loose all concept of time as they explore  
each other with kisses, touches and gentle nips.  
  
Margaret yelps as Leo bites a little to hard on her hip, he looks up  
smiling apologetically and kissing his way back up her paying close  
attention to her scar.  
  
He kisses her slowly and sensuously on the lips while brushing her hair  
behind her ears.  
  
"You ready?" he asks carefully caressing his thumb over her cheek.  
Margaret clamps her teeth down on her bottom lip, nodding then kissing  
him again.  
  
She watches as he produces a condom and she giggles a little because he  
had this planned and also because his last remaining piece of clothing  
has a built in pocket just the right size.  
  
When their last remaining pieces of clothing have joined the others on  
the floor, lying on their side face to face Margaret swings one leg over his hip.   
  
He smiles at the relatively relaxed position and brings them to climax  
with a fluid and leisurely rhythm.  
  
"You don't trust me." he says as Margaret wraps her arms around him,  
resting her head on his chest.  
  
"I just saved your life I hardly want to be the one who turns around and kills you." she smiles lifting her head to look at him.  
  
"You're a very special person..." he says genuinely. "...And I love  
you."  
  
"Love you to...sleep Leo." Margaret orders.  
  
~*~ 


	31. 31

~*~  
  
"Is Jack in?" Toby, Sam, Josh and CJ arrive for staff the next Monday  
morning, simultaneously filling Margaret's meager office.  
  
"No, but you can go in." she swings her chair to face them, biting the  
side of her mouth to keep from smiling, they're hardly through the door  
before she hears a chorus of welcome backs and how are you feeling.  
  
A couple of minutes later Margaret has to interrupt carrying a  
thermometer.  
  
"Keep going." Leo waves to Toby as the thermometer wiggles in his mouth  
and Margaret attaches a blood pressure cuff.  
  
"I feel like I've walked in on a six year olds game of doctor and  
patient." CJ marvels watching Margaret get a reading.  
  
"You want to tell me what my temperature is?" Leo holds the thermometer  
out for CJ.  
  
"One hundred." she squints to read where the red line has ceased.  
  
"I'm done now." Leo asks Margaret who nods and leaves them to get back  
to their meeting.  
  
"I have to go to Richmond in the morning." Leo reminds them as a last  
piece of business for the day before they say thank you and shuffle out.  
  
~*~  
  
"Am I booked solid for the afternoon?" Leo asks rushing into Margaret's  
office around lunchtime the next day.  
  
"You have five minutes at four twenty five." Margaret smiles  
apologetically.  
  
"How'd it go?" she asks.  
  
"Good, everything's fine, doctors said to say hello, you going to get  
something to eat?" Margaret stops short, he's never asked before.  
  
"I was just going to the mess." she fumbles.  
  
"Bring me back something, I don't know you decide what's best." he  
smiles at her and investigates the phone messages on his desk.  
  
~*~  
  
"Margaret." CJ calls and it doesn't take her long legs much to catch up  
to her on the way back from the mess. "How is he?"  
  
"He's really good CJ, he just asked me to get him something to eat, the  
doctors are saying everything's fine, he's got more energy than he's had in a long time and he's sleeping through the night."  
  
Margaret keeps walking hoping CJ won't read anything into her last  
comment. She hasn't said anything and when they arrive at Margaret's  
desk a large jar is waiting full of dark liquid and some sort of large  
biological mass.  
  
"There goes my lunch." CJ sighs looking down at the turkey salad. "I'll  
see you."  
  
Margaret barely says goodbye as she inspects the jar from each angle,  
she knows what the biological mass is, now she just wants to know how it got on her desk.  
  
Cradling it under her arm Margaret knocks on his door and carefully  
closes it behind her, a huge grin spreads across his face as he sees her walk across the room with it under her arm.  
  
"I know what this is, but I want to hear you say it." she says putting  
it down in front of him on his desk.  
  
"That is my liver." he says matter-of-factly getting out of his chair  
and coming to inspect it closer with her. "The hospital likes you to  
view your extracted liver, as a deterrent to doing the wrong thing I  
guess."  
  
He taps the side of the glass like it's a fishbowl making Margaret  
laugh.  
  
"What are you going to do with it?" she turns the bottle looking at the  
diseased organ in it's preserving fluid.  
  
"I was actually going to put it next to a photo of you." he rips his  
attention from the jar, firmly placing his eyes on hers.  
  
"I don't know what to say." Margaret's head tilts to the side giving him a questioning look.  
  
"As a reminder of what you did for me." he shrugs and slips his hands  
inside her jacket.  
  
"Leo." she hisses silently conscious of their environment, only to be  
silenced by his lips on hers.  
  
"You saved my life now make me the happiest man, marry me."  
  
Margaret considers for a moment. "You need a brain transplant." she says before gently extracting herself back to a platonic distance.  
  
"You're right, I was jumping the gun and rushing things...are you coming over tonight?" he hopes.  
  
Margaret nods, takes one last look back at his liver before turning to  
go back to work.  
  
"I wanted to say thank you...in a different way." his voice stops her  
and turns her around again. "In the beginning I knew, people had been  
telling me this could happen eventually, I recognized the symptoms and  
chose to ignore them...if you hadn't pushed me so I could hear those  
words from someone else...you saved me from the outset."  
  
"At the risk of sounding condescending...you're a good girl...a better  
human being than I." Leo finishes.  
  
"We really are just two people in twenty million Leo."  
  
"There'll always be a little of you in me though." he steps closer and  
gently rests her hand on over his left side.   
  
"I love you." she smiles though a lone tear.  
  
"Love you." he repeats and they smile at each other then go back to  
work.  
  
~*~  
  
  
Author's End Note  
  
You made it through thirty thousand words...well done. I wrote this  
over many, many hours during many late nights and I wanted to capture   
the obvious history that Margaret and Leo have and I was sure she'd   
extend it to helping Leo in anyway he needed to keep his life on track  
and sometimes if you have a history with someone, platonic or not,   
there's no distance you won't go for them and so I decided Margaret   
wouldn't think twice about saving Leo. I chose the title because people  
do wonderful things, often life saving, everyday and never recieve   
public thanks, but a lot of gratitude none the less. You can walk past   
these people on the street or pass them at work and they don't want   
parades and public attention, they'd rather remain one of the twenty   
million people who have O type blood, humbly knowing there are people  
who do a lot better things than them.  
  
In the past couple of days I got up to page 211 of The Official  
Companion to the West Wing and I was intrigued to read John Spencers  
comments about the relationship between Leo and Margaret, particularly  
"She's kind of the caretaker behind the man." I hope that came out in  
looking after him through the whole transplant, the other comment was  
"And I think that kind of things only out of the comfort of a long term  
relationship where you get to know and feel comfortable with someone." I hope I captured some of this comfort in this story and cheekily took it a little further despite John alluding to there being nothing romantic or intimate between them.  
  
Lauren 


End file.
